A sampling of media clippings about Lawrence University, its faculty, students, and alumni from print, broadcast and online news outlets around the country.

Fall-Winter 2013-14

New York Times
March 29, 2014
Headline: The Fight for Wisconsin's Soul
Byline: Dan Kaufman
Link: http://www.nytimes.com/2014/03/30/opinion/sunday/the-fight-for-wisconsins-soul.html?_r=0
Excerpt: Wisconsin has been an environmental leader since 1910, when the state’s voters approved a constitutional amendment promoting forest and water conservation. Decades later, pioneering local environmentalists like Aldo Leopold and Senator Gaylord Nelson, who founded Earth Day in 1970, helped forge the nation’s ecological conscience.

But now, after the recent passage of a bill that would allow for the construction of what could be the world’s largest open-pit iron ore mine, Wisconsin’s admirable history of environmental stewardship is under attack.

The mine, to be built by Gogebic Taconite (GTac), owned by the coal magnate Chris Cline, would be in the Penokee Hills, in the state’s far north — part of a vast, water-rich ecosystem that President John F. Kennedy described in 1963, in a speech he delivered in the area, as “a central and significant portion of the freshwater assets of this country.”

...Before the passage of the bill, Marcia Bjornerud, a geology professor at Lawrence University in Appleton, Wis., testified before the legislature that samples she had taken from the mine site revealed the presence of sulfides both in the target iron formation and in the overlying rock that would have to be removed to get to the iron-bearing rocks. (When exposed to air and water, sulfides oxidize and turn water acidic, which can be devastating to rivers and streams, along with their fish populations.) Sulfide minerals, Professor Bjornerud said, would be an unavoidable byproduct of the iron mining. But the bill does not mandate a process for preventing the harm from the sulfide minerals that mining would unleash.

This title may seem a bit far-fetched. After all, the world of business and the world of music appear to have very little in common. My experience as a conservatory-trained musician, the current dean of a major conservatory of music and a former senior manager at Microsoft with 16 years of experience in the business world has taught me otherwise.

I contend that musical training can prepare one for opportunities far beyond the concert hall, including the high-powered world of business. When I worked at Microsoft, our dream employee would be a focused, self-motivated, creative, collaborative, problem-solver who could convincingly articulate her vision. As you can imagine, such an employee was nearly impossible to find. Why? Because we were looking in the wrong place.

A well-trained musician is all these things. Think about it. For every one hour of instruction with a teacher, the musician spends an average of 25 hours alone in a practice room completely focused, painstakingly puzzling through the minutiae of the musical task at hand — no managerial oversight needed. What business wouldn’t want an employee like that?

...Brian Pertl, a graduate of Lawrence University, is the dean of the Lawrence Conservatory of Music. Before coming back to Lawrence he had a 16-year career at Microsoft. Lawrence is a member group of the Fox Arts Network, a grassroots organization of nonprofit arts groups serving the Fox Cities and surrounding communities. FAN’s goal is to encourage trial in all art forms.

Wall Street Journal
March 27, 2014
Headline: College Advises Students: Ditch the Selfies
Byline: Melissa Korn
Link: http://blogs.wsj.com/atwork/2014/03/27/college-advises-students-ditch-the-selfies/
Excerpt: As college seniors gear up for recruiting season, they’re printing out their résumés and ironing their interview suits. At one college, they’re also getting professional headshots to add polish to their online profiles.

It’s no longer enough to just delete embarrassing pictures from Facebook before venturing into the job market. Recognizing the need for a crisp online image, Lawrence University in Appleton, Wis., this month began offering students free, professional headshots to enhance their profiles on career-networking sites like LinkedIn.

The idea came about during an on-campus training session about using social media in the job search. School officials discussed why students needed to tidy their Facebook pages and how to interact with recruiters on Twitter. They also explained why a complete LinkedIn profile, with photo, helps a person stand out in a sea of applicants.

LinkedIn profiles with photos are 11 times more likely to be viewed than those without images, according to the networking site. And a high-quality image with good lighting and a neutral background tends to hook employers more than sloppy selfies, career experts say.

Lawrence has invited all of its students to get their photos taken by a professional photographer. Increasingly, freshmen and sophomores compete for internships too, says Mary Meany, the college’s dean of career services.

So far about 135 students, including performers, French majors and psychology students, have taken the school up on its offer.

The photo sessions have offline benefits, too, says Ms. Meany. Sitting for a formal photo in a collared shirt and blazer, she says, prompts students to think about their professional futures and can help them visualize what life after college will look like.

The award-winning broadcast journalist, whose television career spanned more than 40 years, also will be recognized by Lawrence with an honorary Doctor of Humane Letters, the university announced in a news release.

Gibson joined ABC News in 1975 and held all of the network’s highest profile anchor positions during his career.

"The first rough draft of history over this generation has been seen by an entire nation through the eyes of Charlie Gibson," ABC News President David Westin said upon his retirement in December 2009.

In addition to interviewing seven sitting presidents, Bigson moderated two presidential debates in 2008 and covered both the Republican and Democratic conventions.

Gibson, a former anchor of ABC’s “World News” and “Good Morning America” will receive an honorary doctor of humane letters at the June 15 event. He will also be the principal commencement speaker for the university’s ceremony.

Gibson has a distinguished television career that spanned more than 40 years and covered almost every major event that occurred during his tenure.

Post-Crescent (Appleton, Wis.)
March 20, 2014
Headline: Fox Cities Founder Award: Lawrence University
Link: http://post.cr/1dQmf5Z
Excerpt: Since its founding in 1847, Lawrence University has cultivated and maintained a strong relationship with Appleton and the Fox Cities, earning it the 2014 Fox Cities Founder Award.

Professional portraits were a discussion point about LinkedIn Rachel Crowl had with some Lawrence University students. Crowl coordinates the university’s website and social media accounts, but said photography is her first love.

She has a small studio in her office and invited the students over to have headshots taken. “I was walking back across campus and I thought, ‘Why don’t we do this for everybody?’” Crowl said.

The powers-that-be thought it was a great idea, and now all Lawrence students can have a free portrait session with Crowl. Students have to set up an appointment, and she asks they dress nicely, while still being themselves.

Instead, he’s leaving the program to fill an assistant role at Lawrence University, an NCAA Division III school that also happens to be his alma mater. Sheridan played under Lawrence’s head coach Mike Szkodzinski just two seasons ago.
“It wasn’t an easy decision to leave (Ohio), but I think it’s nice to be going back to a place familiar to me,” Sheridan said.

Sheridan was offered the position weeks ago but did not commit until early last week after talking to mentors and others close to him to gather opinions on what would be best for his career.

Although it was a tough decision, Sheridan thinks he made the correct choice in large part because of the opportunity to coach at a more competitive level.

In 1847, Amos Lawrence sent three men to found a school that would cater to Germans and American Indians along the Fox River. A merchant by trade, Lawrence pledged $10,000 to endow the school, which was matched by the Methodist Church.

Amos Lawrence’s relationship with the community goes back to the city’s founding, said President Mark Burstein, and has only grown stronger since. For that reason, Lawrence University is the recipient of Post-Crescent Media’s Fox Cities Founder Award.

“Appleton is named for Amos Lawrence’s wife — it’s her maiden name — and we grew up side by side over the past 160 plus years,” he said.

“Before these headshots were taken mine was just the default icon,” said Nikolau

Nikolau took advantage of a new university career services program. School photographer and new media coordinator Rachel Crowl takes and edits headshots for students to use online for free.

“It’s probably the first time perspective employers or grad schools are actually gonna lay eyes on you,” Crowl explained.

So for a more professional profile like LinkedIn a haphazard selfie probably won’t cut it.

“As a general rule: angle’s weird, light’s always bad, you’re not a photographer,” said Crowl.

The photographer told us the profile picture is your chance to make a good first impression.

“Dress nicely, but be yourself too. Try to be appropriate to the kind of thing you want to be doing,” Crowl explained.

University Vice President of Communications Craig Gagnon told us this program is a reminder what you put online now follows you forever.

“Those party pictures, the comments about employers, that is not something that you want anybody discovering,” said Gagnon.

“Own that Google search and what happens when your name comes up,” added Crowl.

For Nikolau this photo session is the first step in owning her online identity.

“It’s a small thing, but it’s pretty big in the sense that it’s helping me present myself more professionally,” Nikolau explained.

In three weeks about one hundred twenty students got portraits.

The university plans to keep the program indefinitely.

Journal Sentinel (Milwaukee, Wis.)
March 11, 2014
Headline: No more 'selfies' for job-hunting Lawrence University students
Byline: Karen Herzog
Link: http://www.jsonline.com/blogs/news/249574401.html
Excerpt: A poor-quality "selfie" may not impress a prospective employer as much as a professional headshot posted on a college student's LinkedIn profile.

Embracing social media as a job-hunting tool, Lawrence University in early March began offering its students free high-quality headshots they can post at LinkedIn and other sites to present a professional appearance when they apply for jobs.

Open to all students, not just seniors, nearly 100 students have already shown up at the mini potrait studio at the Lawrence Communications Office for a personalized portrait sitting, according to spokesman Rick Peterson.

The free headshot offer grew out of a presentation to seniors by photographer Rachel Crowl on the benefits of being visible on social media sites.

Since one of the first things a viewer sees on any profile is a headshot, Crowl knew there was a need that she could easily fill.

For Lawrence's conservatory of music students pursuing performance careers, headshots are a requirement, and they are not inexpensive.

The photo service has proven especially popular with conservatory students, according to Peterson.

David Gerard, associate professor of economics at Lawrence University has studied how it affects traffic safety and is here to tell us more.

WFRV-TV (Green Bay, Wis.)
March 7, 2014
Headline: Warren Gerds/Critic at Large: Review: Lawrence's 'Street Scene' a vivid, must-see production
Byline: Warren Gerds
Link: http://bit.ly/1oQbQGA
Excerpt: An opera that is fully mounted by a local entity is rare around these parts these days. That’s reason enough for opera-minded people to catch Kurt Weill’s “Street Scene” this weekend at Lawrence University’s Stansbury Theatre. The bonus is the production is formidable – a must-see for its steaming story, 1929 period costuming and look, sea of singers and full orchestra.

Make that “seas of singers.” Lawrence has a conservatory, and it seems that fine student singers are part of the woodwork. “Street Scene,” with 47 human roles (plus one dog), demands tons of quality singing in the first place – and Lawrence’s production has 21 significant-to-leading roles double cast!

This is HUGE undertaking. Lawrence mounted Elmer Rice’s 1929 Pulitzer Prize-winning play “Street Scene” a few weeks ago. Now comes the Kurt Weill opera, for which Elmer Rice wrote the book and collaborated with literary giant Langston Hughes for the lyrics. Lawrence adds to the mix with a pre-performance lecture by visiting assistant professor of music Erica Scheinberg that supplements the experience with quality material.

Post-Crescent (Appleton, Wis.)
March 7, 2014
Headline: Guitar hero Pat Metheny brings Unity to LU
Byline: Ed Berthiaume
Link: http://post.cr/1nFMe0q
Excerpt: Music legends don’t come to town all that often. You best catch them when they do.

Jazz guitarist Pat Metheny fits the bill, his 20 Grammy Awards providing just a hint of the esteem he’s been held in since his Pat Metheny Group started tearing up jazz charts in the late 1970s.

Metheny, 59 and still sporting his trademark shaggy hair, brings his latest ensemble, the Pat Metheny Unity Group, to Appleton Saturday for a Lawrence University Jazz Series concert at Memorial Chapel. If you’re a fan of jazz or guitar or both, this is a big one.

The Unity Group, which first formed in 2012 as Pat Metheny’s Unity Band and then expanded and retooled last year with the new moniker, is on a world tour that has been drawing rave reviews. The tour, blitzing through the Midwest this week with stops in St. Louis, Ann Arbor, Mich., and Chicago, among others, is the latest chapter in a stellar four-decade run for Metheny.

His Unity Band won a 2012 Grammy for best jazz instrumental album, Metheny’s 20th trophy, and the retooled Unity Group is now touring behind “Kin,” an album released late last year.

But it can also impact you in ways that may not be obvious. That includes everything from your safety on the road, to your productivity at work and even your heart health.

Do you like to take walks in the evening?

If you do, Lawrence University Associate Economics Professor David Gerard says springing the clock forward is a good thing.

“Next week your risk will be about 50 to 80 percent lower of getting hit by a car. It’ll be broad daylight after the change,” Gerard explained.

Gerard wrote an opinion piece for the New York Times. He told FOX 11 he and a colleague looked at pedestrian deaths, nationwide, from 1999 to 2005. They found those car-pedestrian deaths spike in the fall when clocks fall back, and lower significantly when the clock springs ahead.

“Maybe 150 deaths per year could be avoided by having permanent daylight savings,” said Gerard.

But even Gerad admits a permanent change would not be ideal for everyone.

Journal Sentinel (Milwaukee, Wis.)
March 7, 2014
Headline: Daylight saving time saves lives, Lawrence University research suggests
Byline: Karen Herzog
Link: http://www.jsonline.com/blogs/news/248913231.html
Excerpt: When you turn the clock ahead Saturday night to daylight saving time, taking an hour of daylight away from the morning commute and giving it to the drive home, you could save the life of a pedestrian, runner or cyclist, according to Lawrence University research.

"Because travel is generally safer during the light of day, it' is plausible that the time change affects travel risks at different times of the day, David Gerard, an associate professor of economics at Lawrence University, writes in an opinion piece in the New York Times.

Gerard and colleague Paul Fischbeck looked at the numbers and found clear effects on safety for pedestrians, runners and cyclists.

"There are more travelers later in the day than in the early morning, and consequently extending the daylight in the spring reduces the total number of injuries and fatalities," Gerard says.

Returning to standard time in the fall, however, brings a steep increase in early-evening pedestrian fatalities, overwhelming the reduction in morning fatalities, they found.

"In fact, the spike in pedestrian deaths is so sharp that we believe that there are actually two effects – the first associated with the amount of ambient light affecting visibility and the second with a mental adjustment by drivers and pedestrians to the time change," Gerard writes.

"We have heard from many early birds who dislike the abrupt shift from daylight to darkness for their commutes and morning fitness outings, and most emphatically from those who send their kids to the bus stop in the pre-dawn hours. It is clear that these people will face increased risks each morning after the spring time change."

Based on pedestrian fatality numbers alone, a case can be made to extend daylight savings time from its current eight months to the full year, eliminating the time changes altogether, Gerard writes.

"But that position is not going to be a consensus view, even among pedestrians."

New York Times
March 6, 2014
Headline: The Spring Time Change Saves Lives
Byline: David Gerard
Link: http://www.nytimes.com/roomfordebate/2014/03/06/daylight-saving-time-at-what-cost/the-spring-time-change-saves-lives
Excerpt: Although the energy conservation question gets most of the attention, daylight saving time is actually a matter of life and death for some travelers. As we “spring forward,” we take an hour of daylight away from morning travelers and give it to those out in the late afternoon and early evening. Because travel is generally safer during the light of day, it is plausible that the time change affects travel risks at different times of the day.

My colleague Paul Fischbeck and I looked at the numbers and found clear effects on safety for pedestrians, runners and cyclists. There are more travelers later in the day than in the early morning, and consequently extending the daylight in the spring reduces the total number of injuries and fatalities.

The return to standard time in the fall, however, has much more pronounced effects, with a steep increase in early-evening pedestrian fatalities overwhelming the reduction in morning fatalities. In fact, the spike in pedestrian deaths is so sharp that we believe that there are actually two effects – the first associated with the amount of ambient light affecting visibility and the second with a mental adjustment by drivers and pedestrians to the time change.

To the extent that there are fatalities related to the adjustment periods, picking one time and sticking with it could well be a wise policy choice. Given current travel patterns, a permanent change to daylight saving time could on net save a number of lives each year. But such a change would fundamentally change who is at risk and who bears the consequences. We have heard from many early birds who dislike the abrupt shift from daylight to darkness for their commutes and morning fitness outings, and most emphatically from those who send their kids to the bus stop in the pre-dawn hours. It is clear that these people will face increased risks each morning after the spring time change.

Based on the pedestrian fatality numbers alone, there is a case to take daylight saving time from its current eight months to the full year, eliminating the time changes altogether. But that position is not going to be a consensus view, even among pedestrians.

David Gerard is an associate professor of economics at Lawrence University.

And changes to the SAT mean students and parents will need to take a closer look at school requirements.

...At Lawrence University, prospective students may submit SAT or ACT score results. But they’re not required.

“Everything we really need to know about a student’s capacity for being successful at Lawrence is embedded in the academic record, strength of curriculum, how well students have pushed themselves,” said Ken Anselment, Lawrence University dean of admissions.

Conducted by guest conductor and violinist Samantha George, the program is made up of Heinrich von Biber’s “Battalia,” Johann Sebastian Bach’s “Orchestral Suite No. 3, BWV 1068 in D Major” and Antonio Vivaldi’s “Four Seasons.” George will be featured in “Battalia” and “Four Seasons.”

Starting around 6 p.m., the Lawrence University Baroque Ensemble will perform pre-concert music. In addition, the group will offer a “petting zoo” so those in attendance can look at and handle period instruments common to the Baroque era.

...Samantha George is associate professor of violin at Lawrence University in Appleton. She will be featured Friday, March 7, on the 4 p.m. news segment on WFRV, Channel 5. George has held concertmaster and associate concertmaster roles with a number of orchestras, including the Milwaukee Symphony, and has hosted radio programs and given concert lectures. George was born to musical parents. She plays a Guarneri Violin.

WFRV-TV (Green Bay, Wis.)
March 5, 2014
Headline: Local expert shares thoughts on Ukraine crisi
Link: http://bit.ly/1mYvzIp
Excerpt: The ousting of the Ukrainian President has hurt the country, according to Lawrence University political science professor Claudena Skran.

Professor Skran says Russia and Ukraine share an interest in Crimea because of its importance to the Russian navy.

Now, Russia claims to be protecting its interest in Ukraine .

The professor says the country's future is marked by uncertainty, and its shaking worldwide confidence.

"Now there is a Prime Minister in Ukraine, but he is very weak because he has not been elected, and the country is economically weak," she says. "Ukraine is doing worse than Russia and some of the other E.U. countries. On the other hand, hopefully it can become more pro-western, but it's in a fragile state."

Professor Skran does not believe the U.S. will get involved at any point.

The college recently purchased a former bank building on East College Avenue and they're using it as a donation collection site to help the refugees coming here over the next year. Tonight, the Kiwanis Club held a furniture drive to help those in need get on their feet in a new country.

"We're collecting all the things they need to set up an apartment. We need everything, chairs, dishes, pots and pans, glasses, you name it, we need it," says Dawn Malcom with Fox Cities Kiwanis.

About 135 refugees are coming to Appleton, Neenah, and Menasha from Congo and the Middle East.

Community Sponsored Agriculture programs allow consumers to partner with local farms. Consumers invest up front, then farms pay back with a box of produce each week through the growing season. Each farm has different costs, products and pick-up sites.

To learn more, Sustainable Lawrence University Gardens (called SLUG) and Riverview Gardens in Appleton will co-sponsor an open house to connect farmers and the public. The free information event is from 3:30 to 6:30 p.m. March 25 at the Appleton Public Library.

“You can get to know the farmers and find out how you can get your hands on local produce,” said Polly Dalton, a Lawrence University senior and SLUG manager. “It’s a chance to have a connection with the food, the farmer and see how food is grown. We have 12 area farms participating and what’s great is that many of them are young entrepreneurs who have been farming for five years or less but have established CSA programs.”

Lawrence’s gardens don’t offer CSA shares, as its produce “goes into the mouths of students” through the school’s cafeteria. Riverview and the other farms do, however.

“CSAs are perfect for people who want to eat more vegetables and cook more at home,” said Oren Jakobson, Riverview’s director of farm operations. Riverview will have 150 to 200 shares this year.

Jakobson said some CSAs fill up by mid-April, and deliveries start in June.

NBC 26 (Green Bay, Wis.)
March 1, 2014
Headline: Furniture Drive to Help Refugees
Byline: Josh Hughes
Link: http://www.jrn.com/nbc26/news/Refugee-Furniture-Drive-248043341.html
Excerpt: Refugees leaving conflict zones in Congo, Iraq, and Myanmar will soon be making their new homes in the Fox Valley. Bimel is from Nepal and it's his first year at Lawrence University. He knows how hard the transition will be for the 75 refugees.

"It's a great opportunity for them and they will love every bit of it. It might be hard at first but everybody gets used to it," said Bimel.

He's volunteering today and wants to help them in the future with learning the English language. They have a huge language barrier and Lawrence has students who can speak their languages.

World Relief Fox Valley is organizing a furniture drive providing the families with couches, lamps, and kitchen tables for their new homes. The building they're using was recently purchased by Lawrence University and is now on loan to store all the donations. They will then be placed into apartments before the refugees even arrive.

"We would come here and pull the specific furniture that we need in order to set up an apartment appropriately," said Regina Labby with World Relief Fox Valley.

All of this to make sure the refugees will feel welcomed in northeast Wisconsin.

"It's incredible. There's very few things that are so rewarding as helping someone," said Regina.

Fox Cities Kiwanis Club will hold their final furniture drive this Tuesday from 4 to 7 PM.

The performance, at 8 p.m. in the Lawrence Memorial Chapel, is free and open to the public.

Jofre and Sturm met two years ago when both were featured at Festival Miami, Jofre as bandoneon soloist while Sturm conducted his own big band arrangements of tango compositions by the legendary Astor Piazzolla. At Friday’s concert, the Lawrence University Jazz Ensemble and Jofre will perform five Sturm arrangements and two original Jofre compositions.

“JP is an electrifying performer whose passion for music is evident in everything he plays,” Sturm said.

Jofre gave his first concert as arranger and solo bandoneónista in 2003 at the International Festival of Chamber Music. Two years later, Jofre began studying with world-renowned educator and former bandoneónista Julio Pane for the legendary Astor Piazzolla Sextet.

To help them adjust to their new homes, Lawrence University and local organizations including the World Relief Fox Valley and the Fox Cities Kiwanis are asking the community to donate things that would help furnish their apartments.

Organizers are looking to collect everything from bath towels, dining room sets, and dressers to pots and pans.

Volunteers from the Fox Valley Kiwanis and Lawrence University manned the former North Shore Bank building to take in donations from the public.

They collected items such as household furniture, lamps, towels, and cleaning supplies.

Organizers say they’re very appreciative of the support. But more donations will be needed to assist the large number of refugees expected later this year.

“Sheets, blankets, pillows. We’d love new pillows. We’ve got maybe 20 new pillows but we could use more because we’re expecting 75 or more refugees. We could use bed frames. That’s kind of a hard item to come by, just the frames for twin and double beds,” said organizer Jean Long Manteufel.

Volunteers on Saturday opened the doors to vacant, former North Shore Bank, located on East College Avenue, that was purchased by Lawrence University.

The university forged an agreement with World Relief Fox Valley, the Fox Cities Kiwanis and the city to use the space as a donation center. Items collected will benefit about 75 refugees expected to relocate in Appleton this year from Congo, Iraq and Myanmar.

Jeff Buchta of Neenah said he was drawn to make a donation Saturday by thoughts and experiences with families who arrived from Bosnia and Cambodia who were sponsored by his church.

“When they got here, they had nothing,” he said.

As the effort wound down early Saturday afternoon, community generosity and welcoming wishes were evident inside. Some brought couches and upholstered chairs. One room held kitchen items. Towels and toiletries as well as lamps and cleaning supplies were stacked up behind what was once the teller counter.

Jean Long Manteufel of the Fox Cities Kiwanis was pleased by the response during the four-hour collection.

“We’ve done very well,” she said. “We’ve had a nice variety of things donated today.”

Saturday was the first of several collection drives held at the former North Shore Bank Building in Appleton.

It’s a collaboration by Lawrence University. the Fox Cities Kiwanis Club and the city to collect donations to help 75 refugees.

The refugees will arrive from Myanmar, Iraq, and Congo later this year.

Donations are needed for families to set up house – including dining room sets, towels, and dressers.

Organizers say it’s important to help the refugees with the life-changing adjustment.

“They’re our, our new neighbors and we want to make them feel at home. They’re a part of our community and we want to know that they’re welcome and from the way the community is bringing things, they are welcome,” said Kiwanis Organizer Jean Long Manteufel.

World Relief Fox Valley is coordinating the resettlement.

You can still drop off your donations at the former bank on College Avenue in Appleton on March first and fourth.

Tune into Good Day Wisconsin tomorrow for more on how the first collection day went and what organizers still need.

They're collecting furniture and apartment essentials for an estimated 135 refugees arriving by next fall from Congo, Iraq and Myanmar.

"Pots and pans," Fox Cities Kiwanis Volunteer Jean Long Manteufel shows us. "Kitchen items, things a family would use to set up their kitchen."

World Relief Fox Valley is coordinating the resettlement.

Lawrence University is loaning free-of-charge the old North Shore Bank building in downtown Appleton for the collection.

The effort is a collaboration between the city of Appleton, Lawrence University and the Fox Cities Kiwanis Club.

"These individuals are coming from often war-torn countries," Kathy Flores said, the diversity director for the city of Appleton. "Lots of areas of trauma and conflict. It's great to open our doors and say we're ready for you."

There are two other opportunities to drop off donations at the old bank at 320 E. College Ave. in Appleton: from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. Saturday, March 1 and from 4 p.m. to 7 p.m. on Tuesday March 4.

Founded in 2009, the classical vocal ensemble is “dedicated to mining the expressive potential of the human voice.” The ensemble continually expands its repertoire by training with masters of non-classical musical traditions worldwide, including Tuvan and Inuit throat singing, yodeling, belting, Korean P’ansori, Georgian singing and Sardinian cantu a tenore.

The group has collaborated with some of today’s foremost names in music, including Obie Award-winning composer/writer/director Rinde Eckert, beat-driven contemporary classical composer Judd Greenstein and Merill Garbus of the experimental indie-pop group tUnE-yArDs.

Beyond its recent Grammy Award, the ensemble also includes a Pulitzer Prize winner — Caroline Shaw, who was honored in 2013 for her work “Parita.” The ensemble’s 2012 debut album topped iTunes’ classical charts and broke through the Top 10 on the Billboard charts.

The concert will culminate a three-day residency working with students in the conservatory for the ensemble. Group members will participate in a demonstration/career talk Tuesday at 8 p.m. in Shattuck Hall Room 156. Both the concert and talk are free and open to the public.

The talk is set for 7:30 p.m. in the Fort Howard Theater of the F. K. Bemis International Center on the St. Norbert College campus. Finkler‘s interests include health policy, economic growth and development, macroeconomic policy and the economics of China.

With signs posted, the former North Shore Bank Building in downtown Appleton is now the drop off site for a furniture which will assist refugee families.

Siri Benn is one of the about two dozen Lawrence University students who plan to help out.

"It seems like we're going to be doing a lot of moving, sorting, maybe checking pieces of furniture out, figuring out whether they're going to be usable. Just seeing if they're going to make someone's home nice," said Benn, whose a senior.

For this event, organizers say no monetary donations are being accepted.

Just used furniture plus household items like kitchen supplies and toiletries.

Appleton alderman Curt Konetzke said, "They're looking for smaller furniture items, chairs, desks, tables. They're not looking for mattresses and things like that. Some dressers, end tables, coffee tables that kind of situation for their living rooms and stuff like that."

A Vikings upset would be a major milestone in the programs history, because the Knights are 33-1 all time against Lawrence.

However, that one, was just two months ago, so there is hope.

“It’s good but it’s more just having this weekend ahead of us and playing our best and trying to win a hockey game,” said Lawrence forward Huck Saunders.

“There’s no doubt that was our programs biggest win in it’s history to this point,” said Lawrence head coach Mike Szkodzinski. “But we also understand it’s a step and a building block and quite honestly we haven’t been consistent since that point and we need to be. If we want to play and continue our season We need to be even better than we were that Saturday night.”

Coach Szkodzinksi, a St. Norbert alum, says to beat his alma mater, his Vikings will need to play near flawless hockey.

“We know it’s going to be a great challenge,” Szkodzinksi said. “They’re very well coached, they’re physical, they have a very solid d-core and arguably the best goaltender in the nation. So we’re going to have to go in there and play at our highest level and compete.”

“We know they’re going to come out firing and they’re going to play their best so we’re just going to have to match it,” said Saunders. “Our life’s on the line, our season’s on the line so we’ve got to win.”

Community members are invited to take a closer look at what it has meant for those involved.

NAMI Fox Valley, a local branch of the National Alliance on Mental Illness, will hold a Thursday evening screening of the documentary, “Outagamie County Mental Health Court: From Incarceration to Inspiration.” The film was made by Rose Broll, a Lawrence University psychology student.

Kate Kirchner, mental health court coordinator for Outagamie County, said the court is changing lives. It’s focused on treatment, and participants are held accountable if they don’t meet goals and expectations.

“It captures a group of people who haven’t been given treatment, or have, but it hasn’t worked,” Kirchner said. “They didn’t get the help they needed on the front end and because of that we see them on the back end — in the criminal justice system.”

Post-Crescent (Appleton, Wis.)
Feb. 18, 2014
Headline: City Notes: Refugee, homeless help not an either/or proposition
Byline: Nick Penzenstadler
Link: http://post.cr/1d4Myin
Excerpt: We wrote last week about the effort by Lawrence University, Kiwanis and the city to collect furniture for the 75 incoming refugees and heard from readers a sentiment bubbling beneath the surface in Appleton:

“The community should focus first on helping the homeless.”

When I get those phone calls and emails, I like to challenge the readers a bit about our homeless population in the Fox Cities, which is no doubt an important issue.

Do you know how many people count themselves as homeless in the Fox Cities? About 350, and the number is on the rise, according to the latest count in January. It counts people in shelters and other temporary spots.

Are we ignoring that population? I’m not so sure. Could we do more? The numbers would suggest we could.

The emergency shelter is always looking for volunteers, cash and donated items.

Head to emergencyshelterfoxvalley.org to see a list of what they need and how you can help, or give a call to Beth Servais, the shelter’s volunteer coordinator, at 920-882-0346.

Post-Crescent (Appleton, Wis.)
Feb. 18, 2014
Headline: Collection of donations for refugees begins Saturday in Appleton
Link: http://post.cr/1dROSNN
Excerpt: Several community groups are collecting donations for 75 refugees expected to relocate in Appleton this year from Congo, Iraq and Myanmar.

The donations will be collected beginning Saturday in an unoccupied office building owned by Lawrence University downtown at 320 E. College Ave. The school is loaning the space to the Fox Cities Kiwanis as well as World Relief Fox Valley, a refugee-resettlement agency based in Oshkosh.

Lawrence University bought an office building downtown where the donations will be collected, the Post-Crescent Media reported. The school is loaning the space to the Fox Cities Kiwanis as well as World Relief Fox Valley, a refugee-resettlement agency based in Oshkosh.

"We're still sorting out our plans for the long-term future of the building, so rather than let it sit vacant we saw this as a good opportunity," school spokesman Jake Woodford said.

Some 75 refugees are expected to arrive in Appleton this year, while another 60 are expected to settle in Menasha and Neenah.

The Fox Cities Kiwanis are leading a furniture drive. They're looking for chairs, lamps, dressers and other furnishings.

"We're asking for clean usable items for apartments so we can help our new neighbors start life in their new homes," Kiwanis member Jean Long Manteufel said.

Donations will be accepted during designated hours on Feb. 22, March 1 and March 4.

The refugee resettlements follow decades of relocations to the Fox Cities area by Hmong refugees. The Appleton-based Hmong-American Partnership is assisting with the resettlements, drawing upon its own experiences helping its own community relocate.

The university bought the building last December and hasn’t decided what to do with it.

So for now, the school has agreed to let the city use it as a donation collection site.

“We really think that this is an important cause and it is important for the university to work with partners in the community to support their missions,” said Jake Woodford, assistant to Lawrence University president.

Seventy-five refugees from Myanmar, Iraq, and Congo will be placed in Appleton this year.

World Relief Fox Valley is coordinating the refugees’ status.

“We have to have apartments set up prior to them arriving so we do collect donations, furniture and gently used items that they can use as soon as they arrive,” said Myriam Mwizerwa, World Relief Fox Valley director.

WBAY ABC 2 (Green Bay, Wis.)
Feb. 11, 2014
Headline: Lawrence University Donates Building to Help Refugees
Byline: Emily Matesic
Link: http://www.wbay.com/story/24696350/2014/02/11/la
Excerpt: As the Fox Valley prepares to welcome dozens of refugees from Congo, Iraq and Myanmar to the area later this year, Lawrence University is doing its part to help with the transition.

A vacant bank building at 320 E. College Avenue is the property of Lawrence University. Currently being used for storage, about 3,000 square feet of the facility will soon be loaned, free-of-charge, to World Relief Fox Valley.

"We're still sorting out what to do with the building," says Jake Woodford, assistant to the Lawrence University President. "There are some things we've been in discussions about, but certainly in the short turn, in these next six months this seemed like a wonderful use."

World Relief Fox Valley will be using the building as a donation center and storage facility for community donations it hopes to receive within the next couple of months. The Oshkosh based organization is in need of household necessities like bed frames, kitchen tables and dishes, couches among other items. The donations will be used to set up apartments and other living quarters for the more than one hundred refugees it will help to settle in the area later this year.

World Relief Fox Valley Director Myriam Mwizerwa says, "Initially we are allocated about $925 per person to get all of these items, so it's not sufficient, obviously we need donations in order for use to meet the needs of the refugees."

A firm believer in community partnerships, Lawrence is excited to be a part of this project and expects the use of this building to just be the beginning of its helping hand.

Says Woodford, "Our Volunteer Center on campus is working on coordinating some volunteer efforts around the drives here at the building. Certainly I think there will be opportunities for students to get involved."

University leaders say they are making the former bank building on E. College Ave. available as a donation collection point for refugees who will be moving to the Fox Valley in the coming year. Lawrence has agreed to loan the 10,800-square-foot building to World Relief Fox Valley rent-free for the next six months.

Lawrence bought the building and adjacent parking lot for about $284,000 in December.

About 135 refugees are coming to Appleton, Neenah and Menasha from Congo, Iraq and Myanmar.

The Fox Cities Kiwanis will lead a furniture drive, collecting furnishings such as couches, lamps, chairs, nightstands, dressers and kitchen tables. Donations are being accepted Feb. 22 and March 1 from 9 a.m.-1 p.m. and March 4 from 4-7 p.m.

Lawrence officials inked a deal Monday with World Relief Fox Valley, the Fox Cities Kiwanis and the city to use the former North Shore Bank building, 320 E. College Ave., to collect donations for the 75 refugees expected to relocate this year from Congo, Iraq and Myanmar.

“We’re happy to partner with these community organizations to help them carry out their mission,” said Jake Woodford, assistant to LU president Mark Burstein. “We’re still sorting out our plans for the long term future of the building, so rather than let it sit vacant we saw this as a good opportunity.”

The 10,800-square-foot, two-story office building will be on loan to the Oshkosh-based refugee resettlement agency for six months or through the first week of August. Lawrence purchased it in December after the building sat vacant for nearly three years.

The Fox Cities Kiwanis, which helped with the Hmong resettlement to the area 10 years ago, will lead a furniture drive.

The group is looking for “apartment-type” furnishing like couches, lamps, chairs, night stands, dressers and kitchen tables. In addition to the 75 refugees who will come to Appleton, another 60 are expected to settle in Neenah and Menasha.

Three collection times have been established to accept donations: 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. Feb. 22 and March 1, and 4 to 7 p.m. March 4.

Resettling the refugees sparked a discussion about community readiness after an Appleton alderman questioned preparations last month.

Ald. Jeff Jirschele withdrew his resolution to “suspend mass relocation efforts” after he said the tone of the discussion veered off into a debate over refugees in general.

Kathy Flores, the city’s diversity coordinator, praised Lawrence and Kiwanis for the donation drive, calling it proof that Appleton and the Fox Cities are a “compassionate community ready to respond to the need.”

The refugee organization is grateful to have the space, especially to store items as they accumulate, said Myriam Mwizerwa, World Relief Fox Valley director.

Jean Long Manteufel, a longtime Kiwanis member who is coordinating the organization’s refugee collection effort, said donations would be collected on the specified days on the alley side of the former bank building.

“We’ll help unload cars and give people a donation receipt,” Long Manteufel said. “We’re asking for clean usable items for apartments so we can help our new neighbors start life in their new homes.”

Thursday, NBC's coverage of early events earned a 14 rating locally, and was ranked 10th in the nation. Friday's opening ceremonies, which earned a 20.6 rating between 6:30 and 10:30 p.m., easily won its time slot for WTMJ-TV (Channel 4), but took a dip from the 2010 Winter Games in Vancouver, British Columbia, with peak viewing here down five points from those opening ceremonies. Viewership of the Vancouver Games at times made WTMJ the top-ranked station in the United States during the 2010 Games.

...Meanwhile, at NBC, the Olympics could find the network's "journalistic impulses and their entertainment financial interests" at cross purposes, said Jerald Podair, professor of history at Lawrence University in Appleton.

So far, NBC has faithfully reported on problems leading up to the Games. Friday, anchor Brian Williams and Richard Engel reported on a hijacker who attempted to divert a plane to Sochi. But an earlier Engel report on how Russian hackers could corrupt laptops and smartphones was debunked by a tech blogger who said it was wrong in every detail.

Substitute Vladimir Putin and Pussy Riot and you could tell a variation of the joke today.

Putin, said Podair, personifies the paranoid, expansionist and nationalist tendencies that "we feared in Russia when it was Marxist, but without the Marxism." These qualities are intrinsic to the Russian character, he said, and were forged in the World War II loss of 20 million lives when "people fought the Nazis literally in the streets of Stalingrad."

"We were fighting for freedom. They were fighting for Russia," Podair said.

He compares the Sochi Olympics to Hitler's 1936 Berlin Olympics in that "a dictator, a totalitarian" is staging a "showpiece Olympics" to spotlight Russian superiority.

Political scientist Jason Brozek joined the government department in 2008 as an assistant professor and Stephen Edward Scarff Professor of International Affairs as a specialist in international security, conflict bargaining and international law. His scholarship focuses on global conflicts that result from a shortage of freshwater. He earned a bachelor’s degree in political science from Wayne State College and a master’s degree and a doctorate in political science from the University of Wisconsin-Madison.

Biochemist Kimberly Dickson joined the Lawrence biochemistry program in 2007. Her scholarship focuses on protein structure and function, particularly angiojenin, a protein that stimulates blood vessel growth and plays a role in supporting the growth and metastasis of tumors. She has a bachelor’s degree in biology at Smith College, a master’s degree at Johns Hopkins University and her Ph.D. in biochemistry at University of Wisconsin-Madison.

Composer Asha Srinivasan joined the conservatory of music in 2008. She writes for a broad array of instrumentation, including large ensemble, chamber and electroacoustic media. Srinivasan was one of eight composers nationally selected as a resident composer for the 2012 Mizzou New Music Initiative in Columbia, Mo. Srinivasan earned a bachelor’s degree from Goucher College, a master’s degree in computer music composition and music theory pedagogy from the Peabody Conservatory and a D.M.A. in composition from the University of Maryland.

The two men, 36-year-old Universal Allah, and 41-year-old Salah Salahadyn, are accused ot tazing Concertmaster Frank Almond and stealing his instrument after a concert on January 27th.

The violin was recovered this past monday in seemingly good shape. The news comes as a welcome relief for musicians across the region, including one with a personal connection to the victim.

Samantha George knows Concertmaster Frank Almond well, having played beside him and a seperate Stradivarius violin for 9 years. 9203848

"It produces an enormous amount of sound," she says.

The instrument now sits heavily guarded by Milwaukee Police, after it was discovered inside a suitcase on Monday.

"It looks the way it's supposed to look," says Milwaukee Symphony Orchestra President Mark Niehaus. "The bridge is intact, the sound post is still up, and all the strings are still there."

George says she was initially concerned when she heard the case had been found without the violin inside.

"When an instrument is floating around without a case especially in this climate, a lot of bad things can happen to it," says George.

The 5-million-dollar violin had been on loan to Almond when it was stolen nearly two weeks ago. George says it's not uncommon for expensive instruments to be loaned to prominent musicians.

"Usually soloists and concert masters that would play on these instruments and showcase them," she says.

Her violin, while not a Stradivarius, is from the late 1600's.

"You think, this is older than the United States of America!"

So she knows all about the bond between musician and instrument.

"I hate for this to be a way to get publicity," says George. "But I'm glad people have more of an awareness about these types of instruments and also about these types of orchestras and the types of players that are in the orchestra."

Almond expects to soon be reunited with his special loan.

"Obviously they're very prized and very rare," says Almond. "And I'm lucky to play it every single day"

That’s the phrase boasted by extremes of the political spectrum in Wisconsin in recent years and is cause for alarm, outgoing moderate voices in Madison say.

After this session, longtime legislators Rep. Garey Bies, R-Sister Bay, Sen. Tim Cullen, D-Janesville, Sen. Bob Jauch, D-Poplar, and Sen. Dale Schultz, R-Richland Center will retire. They will take with them 94 years of old-school bridge-building political experience.

...This year, Ellis faces his first election challenge since 1998. It will come from Appleton Democratic Rep. Penny Bernard Schaber.

Other Senate moderates that could fill the void are Sen. Luther Olsen, R-Ripon, and Sen. Robert Cowles, R-Green Bay, both known to show independent streaks, said Arnold Shober, a political science professor at Lawrence University in Appleton.

Olsen opposed Walker’s expansion of private voucher school programs and called for more accountability of all educational programs. Cowles voted for Act 10, but has a history of bipartisanship on issues like renewable energy. Both survived recall attempts in 2011.

Shober said the political landscape in Wisconsin and around the country has shifted enough that’s there’s little incentive to cater to moderate voters.

“Whoever replaces these moderates is unlikely to fulfill that same deal-making role,” Shober said. “We’ve become extremely polarized and candidates have to appeal to the far left or right for fundraising and policy.”

Education Week
Feb. 4, 2014
Headline: Stakes Are High for K-12 Policy in 2014 Elections
Byline: Andrew Ujifusa
Link: http://www.edweek.org/ew/articles/2014/02/05/20elections_ep.h33.html
Excerpt: State elections involving three dozen governors and more than 6,000 legislators this year could have major consequences for a variety of education policies, with the Common Core State Standards, school choice, collective bargaining, and early education among the topics most likely to get time in the spotlight and on the stump.

In some states, the 2014 elections may prove pivotal for the fate of controversial education measures enacted as a result of Republicans' strong showing in 2010. The GOP took control of 12 additional state legislatures and six more governorships that year.

...Even those candidates who don't use language that is explicitly against the standards are more likely to tiptoe whenever the common core comes up in debates and interviews.

"They aren't going to come out and stump for them, because they'll either want to protect their tails, or they'll say, 'I like standards,' " said Arnold Shober, a professor of government at Lawrence University in Appleton, Wis., who tracks state K-12 governance issues.

By appearing in a longer-than-usual commercial for Fiat Chrysler Automobiles during the Super Bowl Sunday night – and allowing the use of his wordy 1966 single “I Want You” in a separate spot for Chobani yogurt – has cemented an idea that few would have ascribed to him when he first came to prominence in the 1960s: He’s for sale.

“You can’t import the heart and soul of every man and woman working on the line.” Dylan said Sunday night in the latest of a series of Chrysler Super Bowl ads meant to spark pride in America and the cars it makes. “Let Asia assemble your phone…We will build your car.”

...Still, many of Dylan’s contemporaries stick to the belief their songs are made for a higher purpose than selling soda, cars or bras. “Ain’t singing for Pepsi/Ain’t singing for Coke/ I don’t sing for nobody/Makes me look like a joke.” Neil Young sang in his 1988 single, “This Note’s For You.” R.E.M., Bruce Springsteen and Tom Petty also sit among the rock statesmen who eschew advertising. In 1987, Petty sued B.F. Goodrich for using a song in a tire commercial that sounded suspiciously similar to his tune “Mary’s New Car.”

Following those sentiments, some Dylanophiles are dismayed by his new commercial alliances, even if they aren’t his first. “While countercultural personalities have been used to sell products as far back as the 1960s, the idea of Dylan doing so was almost unfathomable,” said Jerald Podair, a professor of history and American studies at Lawrence University in Appleton, Wisconsin. “Somewhere, Woody Guthrie, Dylan’s inspiration and muse, is shedding bitter tears.”

The bequest establishes the Richard and Margot Warch Fund for Scholarly Research, which will fund faculty scholarship, travel expenses, student research support and research materials, the university announced Wednesday. David Burrows, the provost and dean of faculty, will administer the fund.

All faculty will be eligible to apply for small grants to help them complete projects. The research projects also give students a chance to work closely with faculty.

The bequest establishes the Richard and Margot Warch Fund for Scholarly Research, which will fund faculty scholarship, travel expenses, student research support and research materials, the university announced Wednesday. David Burrows, the provost and dean of faculty, will administer the fund.

All faculty will be eligible to apply for small grants to help them complete projects. The research projects also give students a chance to work closely with faculty, which is a key part of a Lawrence education.

The endowed fund honors president Richard “Rik” Warch, who died in September 2013 at the age of 74, and his wife Margot Warch. He led the college from 1979 to 2004, making him the college’s second-longest serving president.

“Rik felt interactions between faculty and students were the essence of the Lawrence experience,” Margot Warch said in a statement. “He celebrated the work and achievements of each faculty member as dean of the faculty and as president was always looking for dollars to encourage scholarship and development projects. He would be thrilled to know that a fund bearing our names now exists to support faculty research.”

Funds to support faculty research will be available at the start of the 2014-15 academic year.

College leaders say an anonymous donor gave the money to establish the Richard and Margot Warch Fund for Scholarly Research. The fund will support faculty scholarship, travel expenses, student research support and the purchase of research materials, including instruments and books.

Richard Warch was Lawrence’s president from 1979-2004. He is the second-longest-serving president in the university’s history. He died at age 74 in September.

NBC 26 (Green Bay, Wis.)
Jan. 29, 2014
Headline: $1 Million Donation to Lawrence University
Byline: Josh Hughes
Link: http://www.jrn.com/nbc26/news/Lawrence-Donation-242667791.html
Excerpt: A million dollars donated to Lawrence University in honor of former president Richard Warch. This donation will give faculty more chances to further their research.

"What we do in our research has an impact on the richness of the learning experience in the classroom," said Physics Professor Matt Stoneking.

Professors enjoy working with students in labs and these new funds will give more students this experience.

"Students will notice there are additional opportunities that weren't available in the past. There will be more students who can do research during the summer," said Stoneking.

But the best part of this donation according to the Universities President? It's being put into the school's endowment fund.

"Benefits of an endowed gift is that the little over a million dollars throws off about 50,000 dollars a year," said Lawrence University President Mark Burstein.

An interest rate like that sits real well with students hoping to further their education.

WLUK-TV Fox 11 (Green Bay, Wis.)
Jan. 27, 2014
Headline: Obama's approval rating dips in WI
Link: http://fox11online.com/2014/01/27/obamas-approval-rating-dips-in-wi/
Excerpt: President Obama is scheduled to give his State of the Union address Tuesday. Part of the president’s 4-state, post state of the union tour will be an overnight stop in the Milwaukee area. He will arrive Wednesday and then tour General electric’s Waukesha Engine plant Thursday.

President Obama’s Wisconsin welcome might not be as warm as he’d like.

A new Marquette University Poll shows the President has a 44% approval rating and a 50% disapproval rating in the state now. That’s down from 49% approval and 46% disapproval in October.

“It is worth nothing that Obama is under water in all but 11 states anyway. So, Wisconsin isn’t really an outlier in that sense,” explained Lawrence University Political Science Professor Arnold Schober. under water,meaning a disapproval rating higher than approval.

Schober also told FOX 11 he believes the main reason for the drop is the troubled federal health insurance enrollment.

“Wisconsin is certainly no different than other states in that regard, in that it’s been rocky here. It’s been hard to sign up through the federal system. So that has kind of taken a hit,” Schober said.

But Schober told us the part of the lower approval might not be about the President, himself.

“Obama is in his 6th year as President. Americans tend to get tired of their presidents, whoever they are, by this time around,” said Shober

So will the President be able to change the public’s perception in his State of the Union address Tuesday? Don’t bet on it.

“They don’t change people’s perception of the President in the way that, say, newer policies might,” Schober explained.

And what do the poll numbers mean for the 2016 presidential election?

According to Schober, if Obama’s numbers stay below 50-percent Democratic candidates would likely distance themselves from him, while Republicans would try to use it to their advantage.

“The lower his numbers are, the easier it would be to tie a successor to the, quote, ‘last failed 8 years of the Obama administration.’ Just like the Democrats did with George W. Bush,” Schober explained.

For some perspective, a Badger Poll by the UW Madison during Bush’s sixth year, showed him with a 36% approval rating.

Last year’s runner-up, Hobgoblin of Little Minds, dropped to third this year among 57 off-campus teams with 1,205 points.

Shrek Out of Ten 2: The Shrekoning easily won the on-campus title among 19 teams, racking up 1,398 points.

Bucky’s Banastitudinal Buggery Brigade placed second among the student teams with 1,232 points.

A total of 416 questions were asked during the 50-hour contest, which ended at midnight Sunday. This year’s contest featured a theme hour devoted to first-year Lawrence President Mark Burstein.

Unlike last year, when several teams were able to answer the contest’s final question, the “Super Garruda,” this year’s contest-ender produced a shutout. No team was able to come up with the answer to this question: In the final resting place of Copernicus there are pillars with graffiti scratched into them. One of these pillars has graffiti that reads “EM is cool” and “DW is ok.” What does the only music-genre related graffiti on that pillar say?”

The Lawrence University standout quarterback has signed to play professionally with the Stuttgart Scorpions of the German Football League. He will join the team for training camp in March, and the season starts in May.

“I’m looking foward to every possible facet of this thing,” Barthelmess said. “Playing more football, playing professional football and living in Europe.”

Barthelmess played in the Bowl of the Stars, a Division III all-star game in Mexico, in December. The offensive coordinator for Team Stars and Stripes was Joe Austin, the head coach at Southwestern University. Austin’s quarterbacks coach is former Lawrence assistant Byron Abram, so Austin knew about Barthelmess before coaching him in Mexico.

It was in Mexico where Austin talked to Barthelmess about playing overseas.

“I thought about it a little bit and figured why not try it and see where it goes,” Barthelmess said.

Barthelmess led Team Stars and Stripes to a 29-7 victory over the CONADEIP All-Stars in Monterrey. He led Team Stars and Stripes on three scoring drives in the first half. He completed 11-of-16 passes for 103 yards and ran seven times for 49 yards and a touchdown.

Tom Schneider, the Stuttgart starting quarterback, had a serious knee injury last season and will be the team’s offensive coordinator in 2014. Barthelmess talked with Schneider about playing for the Scorpions.

“At that point, I still wasn’t sure I wanted to do it because I’ve worked my butt off to get a math and economics degree,” said Barthelmess, who plans to return to Lawrence next year to finish his degree. “But I thought, 10 years down the road, am I going to regret not playing football in Europe? Two days later, I was back saying I was their guy.”

Lawrence University senior Addy Goldberg finds himself overseeing the 49th edition of the nation’s longest-running intellectual scavenger hunt — Lawrence University’s Great Midwest Trivia Contest — despite never actually having played the contest.

He joined elite company in the contest’s history by earning anointment as a trivia master as a freshman in 2011, a feat matched by few first-year students. After two more years as a master, he was thrust into the contest’s ultimate position as this year’s Grand Trivia Master.

“I feel like I’ve been raised by it because my introduction to the contest wasn’t through playing it or through witnessing it, but through running it,” said Goldberg, who doesn’t have any freshman among his 12 trivia minions. “I feel a lot of debt to the trivia masters who ‘raised’ me as the freshman who had no idea what was going on, which usually is not how it’s supposed to go.”

Under Goldberg’s direction, bragging rights to the title of this year’s 50-hour contest — last year’s battle royale of all things obscure drew 13 on-campus teams and 61 off-campus teams — kicks off anew at the precisely inconsequential time of 37 seconds after 10 p.m. Friday and runs continuously through midnight Sunday. As it has since 2006, the contest will be webcast at wlfmradio.com.

A 5:30 p.m. reception precedes the 6:30 p.m. performance. Admission is $25, which includes hors d’ oeuvres and refreshments, and advance reservations are required.

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The performance will include original works of three of the band members as well as some recognizable jazz standards.

“We’re pretty lit up at the moment, performing very adventurous contemporary jazz originals and turning some old standards upside down,” said percussionist Dane Richeson, the senior member of the quartet. “It should be a good time for everyone.”

One of the country’s premier faculty jazz ensembles, the Lawrence Faculty Jazz Quartet features four highly accomplished musicians in their own right.

Pianist Bill Carrothers, an expatriate New York jazz killer, has performed at a world class level with many of the biggest names in the jazz world. He has performed regularly in Chicago the past 15 years, including at the Chicago Jazz Festival, the Green Mill and the Jazz Showcase.

In late May, he will premiere his latest commission, “D-Day,” for the 70th anniversary of the Normandy invasion in Caen, Coutances and Sainte Mere Eglise, France. His new album, “Sunday Morning” features his interpretation of famous Lutheran hymns.

Saxophonist José Encarnación came to Lawrence from the Eastman School of Music, where he held one of the most prestigious jazz saxophone teaching positions in the world. He has performed with many of the Latin jazz world’s finest, including Gilberto Santa Rosa, Roberto Rohena and Luis Enrique as well as Chicago musicians Tito Carrillo, Chip McNeill and Scott Burns. In 2013, Encarnación played with the Maria Schneider Jazz Orchestra at the Elmhurst Jazz Festival.

Richeson is a percussionist par excellence. His latest latest CD — “Maxim Confit” — was released last fall. It blends his infectious drum work with the musical chops of his Lawrence colleagues Carrothers and Encarnación as well as his friends saxophonist David Liebman, guitarist Vic Juris and fellow percussionists Jamey Haddad (drums), Joe Locke (vibraphone/marimba), and Michael Spiro (bata/congas). Richeson was a long-time member of the Chicago-based contemporary chamber group CUBE.

Bassist Mark Urness, a former first prize winner in the International Society of Bassists Jazz Competition, has performed with a veritable Who’s Who list of jazz luminaries, among them Kenny Wheeler, Clay Jenkins, Wycliffe Gordon, Art Lande, Terell Stafford, Howard Levy, Lew Soloff and jazz legend Benny Golson.

Two current Lawrence students — senior jazz guitarist Max Bowen and junior trumpet player Ben Phillips — will join their faculty mentors on stage for several numbers during the performance.

Lawrence University boasts a world-class conservatory of music with an outstanding jazz department. Since 2007, Lawrence has earned eight DownBeat Magazine awards in its annual Student Music Awards competition. Fred Sturm, director of our jazz studies department, was honored by DownBeat in 2010 with its Jazz Education Achievement Award.

“Lawrence is blessed to have one of the most creative faculty jazz performing ensembles in American university jazz programs,” said Sturm “Jose’, Bill, Mark and Dane are each world-class performers and master teachers.”

Lawrence University senior Addy Goldberg finds himself overseeing the 49th edition of the nation’s longest-running intellectual scavenger hunt — Lawrence University’s Great Midwest Trivia Contest — despite never actually having played the contest.

He joined elite company in the contest’s history by earning anointment as a trivia master as a freshman in 2011, a feat matched by few first-year students. After two more years as a master, he was thrust into the contest’s ultimate position as this year’s Grand Trivia Master.

“I feel like I’ve been raised by it because my introduction to the contest wasn’t through playing it or through witnessing it, but through running it,” said Goldberg, who doesn’t have any freshman among his 12 trivia minions. “I feel a lot of debt to the trivia masters who ‘raised’ me as the freshman who had no idea what was going on, which usually is not how it’s supposed to go.”

Under Goldberg’s direction, bragging rights to the title of this year’s 50-hour contest — last year’s battle royale of all things obscure drew 13 on-campus teams and 61 off-campus teams — kicks off anew at the precisely inconsequential time of 37 seconds after 10 p.m. Friday and runs continuously through midnight Sunday. As it has since 2006, the contest will be webcast at wlfmradio.com.

First conducted in 1966 as an alternative activity for students who didn’t participate in an academic campus retreat, Lawrence Great Midwest Trivia Contest is a 50-hour celebration of all things insignificant, with 400 Google-challenged questions of various point values asked every three minutes, sandwiched around off-beat humor and eclectic music while teams scramble to call in answers to a phone bank in the WLFM studios.

What’s the secret to the contest’s ongoing popularity?

“People seem to really care about it,” said Goldberg, a psychology major from Needham, Mass. “People are willing to work for it and put a lot of energy and effort into it, which is great, and there’s a lot of surprising energy there.”

"I think he's particularly important because he faced discouragement and never gave up. He envisioned a future, he talked about an inclusive society, a beloved community was the phrase, and I think that's a vision we still want to work toward today," said Margaret Rozga, the event's key note speaker.

Rozga is a social justice advocate and diversity leader from the Milwaukee area.

In Appleton the population is becoming more diverse which is why the mayor says it's important to acknowledge what King stood for.

"This is about basic human decency towards each other. No matter who people are, no matter where they come from or what they're backgrounds are it's about basic human decency, and that's his legacy," said Tim Hanna, Appleton mayor.

The very first Martin Luther King, Jr. celebration was hosted by the city 23 years ago. On average it attracts between 300 and 350 people.

"It's a very emotional moment especially being African American and living here in the Fox Valley and to see people from all races and nationalities come here and support a international humanitarian," said Dr. Sabrina Robins, who attended the event.

“As the civil rights movement shows, legislation is sometimes sped up by direct action. Think of the Voting Rights Act. Think of Selma,” Rozga said. “Think of the injunction issued by Judge James Hare on July 9, 1964, forbidding any gathering of three or more people under the sponsorship of civil rights organizations or leaders. Think how much that sounds like the recent policy in the Wisconsin Capitol forbidding gatherings of four or more.”

Rozga spoke to about 200 people for the Martin Luther King Jr. Celebration at the Lawrence University Memorial Chapel on Monday, commemorating the holiday by focusing on King’s dedication to nonviolence and its relation to civil rights today.

While King touted nonviolent measures, Rozga said there were times when his definition was misunderstood.

“King said nonviolence is not sterile passivity, but a powerful moral force which makes for social transformation,” Rozga said. “His was a powerful and active and insistent, sometimes uncompromising, nonviolence. Dr. King’s nonviolence was nonviolent, direct action. King’s nonviolence did not turn a blind eye to injustice in order to maintain a pretense of peace.”

Instead of attending classes today, students volunteered out in the community. Then, tonight, the whole city was invited to gather for a celebration of his life and accomplishments. Poet and civil rights activist Margaret Rozga used her keynote address tonight to address the difference between Dr. King's nonviolence in the 1960s and what nonviolence means today.

"We get our ideas of what is possible, we get our sense of what's possible from what's been done in the past and Martin Luther King is the foremost figure from the Civil Right's Movement," Rozga says.

She was active in civil rights during the time of Dr. King. Rozga even spent some time in jail for fighting for the rights of poor black children in the 1960s in Milwaukee.

In Appleton, about 270 students from Lawrence University will participate in putting one of King’s many enduring quotes into action.

As King had said, “Life’s most persistent and urgent question is: ‘What are you doing for others?’”

Lawrence University is commemorating Martin Luther King Jr. Day with a series of volunteer opportunities for students both on campus and out in the community. The national Day of Service initiative is urging people to “Make it a day on, not a day off.”

Kristi Hill, the university’s director of volunteer and community service programs, said the student body has shown a strong interest in community service. About half engage in service work at some point during the year.

The holiday, one in which classes aren’t in session, provides a chance to reach those who don’t or don’t know how to get involved. It’s part of the university’s efforts to turn students into well-rounded citizens.

“We want them to know there are needs out there,” Hill said.

Students today will spend time with organizations including the Boys & Girls Club, Riverview Gardens, the Fox Valley Humane Association and Brewster Village. Those who prefer to remain on campus can engage in activities such as bracelet making for nursing home residents and creating banners and ribbons to help break the stigma of mental illness.

The university was able to sign up about a fifth of its student body for today’s opportunities.

“This generation of students is really able to look beyond themselves,” Hill said. “They care about their neighbors, friends and communities.”

The administration released the promises — financial or otherwise — of 100 institutions and 40 organizations aimed at assisting more low-income students attend college as part of a higher education summit hosted at the White House on Thursday.

Lawrence and the University of Wisconsin-Madison were the only institutions from Wisconsin to be recognized.

Lawrence’s efforts include providing need-based financial aid to about two-thirds of its students annually. Twenty-two percent of Lawrence students have extremely high financial need and qualify for federal Pell Grants. The college also enrolls a substantial number of first-generation students.

“Affordability and access to a quality college education are among our top priorities,” said Lawrence President Mark Burstein. “Our plans address both the financial burden while also providing resources to assure a successful experience through graduation.”

Lawrence plans to enhance partnerships with community-based organizations, increase academic support services, enhance training for faculty advisors, place a greater emphasis on its peer mentoring program and create and implement a summer bridge program to help at-risk students make a successful college transition.

The university also pledged to implement a new retention management system that will provide better early warning for students who may be struggling.

“Taken together, we believe these initiatives will help better address White House and Lawrence goals to provide greater access to qualified students who might otherwise find a Lawrence education beyond their reach,” said Burstein.

“People often ask me how to sustain involvement over a long period of time, how to persevere in seeking peace and social justice,” said Rozga, who will offer the keynote address, “Dr. King’s Nonviolence, Today’s Nonviolence,” during the 23rd annual Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Celebration at Lawrence University in downtown Appleton. “Where do you find hope? … Bayard Rustin said once, you don’t find hope, you make hope. I think you make hope by being involved and by doing something.”

Poet, playwright and professor emerita of English at UW-Waukesha are among the titles carried by Rozga, who took part in freedom marches in Milwaukee in the 1960s, was jailed for fighting for the rights of poor black children and later wrote a play and book of poetry on her experiences.

She also was married to the late civil rights activist and Catholic priest James Groppi. Rozga’s message is in part inspired by a 1967 telegram from King to Groppi that began with “Your actions inspire me deeply” — actions that will be examined and can hopefully be used to inspire present and future generations.

Rozga’s lifelong dedication to progress was a big reason the committee behind the MLK Celebration selected her for the address, said City of Appleton diversity coordinator Kathy Flores.

“Not only was she involved with the housing movement and civil rights in the Milwaukee area during Dr. King’s time with her late husband Father Groppi, but she is still very active today in civil rights work and housing issues and equality and fairness,” Flores said.

“I like school,” said the 18-year-old senior at Appleton East High School who also enjoys helping others learn. “When you’re helping someone with a math problem or whatever it is, it’s always been something I’ve enjoyed.”

It’s no surprise that after graduation Wildenberg is planning to double major in primary and secondary education.

First, however, he and other high school seniors across the country are on the hunt for financial aid and scholarship money to help make the college journey more affordable. It’s an annual ritual as a new crop of college-bound seniors and their parents look to tackle the imposing costs of higher education.

...“At a private school an applicant may need to fill out additional documents that are used by the school to determine eligibility for institutionally-funded financial aid, and that depends on each institution what they may require,” Holman said. “And some may require the CSS Profile.”

Many private colleges, including for the first time this year Lawrence University, require a CSS (College Scholarship Service) Profile, which takes a much broader look at the family situation and which allows the school to give out non-federal financial aid in the form of endowments. In some cases, financial aid is more than what it would be just based on FAFSA data.

...For the last four years, Rufe has helped coordinate three financial aid evenings for students and their parents at Appleton East High School.

One is an informational meeting that was held in December. There is a completion night, where parents have access to the computer lab and there is an expert on hand to answer questions on how to complete the FAFSA. That is now scheduled for Feb. 4. And in March during the school day there is an opportunity for parents to meet one-on-one with a financial aid expert.

School counselors, Rufe said, are there to help and assist students in any way possible. “We hope 100 percent of our kids have a plan for post-high school.”

Students and parents also can utilize free College Goal Wisconsin, held at 2 p.m. Feb. 22 at FVTC. Held in a large computer lab, the session lasts about two hours.

“We can help students and their families complete the FAFSA,” Doran said. “And the full intent is to do it from beginning to end. We really want them to complete the FAFSA, not just save it and try to do it another day. ... Whether they’re coming to the tech college or not is totally irrelevant. We’re just here to help them and get it done.”

Volunteers that facilitate the day are from FVTC, Lawrence, UW-Fox Valley and other institutions outside the Fox Cities.

Doran advises parents to bring along tax information and know social security numbers. A Hmong and Spanish interpreter will be on hand to help.

Ramaswamy will present “Sannidhi” at 8 p.m. in Stansbury Theatre as part of both Lawrence University’s world music and dance series. The performance is free and open to the public.

Hailed as “rapturous and profound” in a New York Times review, “Sannidhi” is Ramaswamy’s newest solo piece. Accompanied by live music, “Sannidhi” explores the dualities of feminine/masculine, music/movement and rhythm/lyric.

Ramaswamy has toured as a soloist and principal dancer of the Ragamala Dance Company throughout the United States as well as internationally in India, Indonesia and Scotland. The protégé of Alarmel Valli, one of India’s most renowned masters of the classical dance Bharatanatyam, Ramaswamy became the first Bharatanatyam dancer to be named one of “25 to Watch” in 2010 by Dance Magazine, which cited her “buoyant agility and sculptural clarity.”
Lawrence convocation canceled

Lawrence University’s scheduled convocation with documentary filmmaker, humorist and political activist Morgan Spurlock on Thursday has been canceled due to a conflict on Spurlock’s part.

He will not be rescheduled this academic year, but the college is in the process of securing a replacement speaker for the spring.
Lawrence pianist earns honors at competition

Lawrence University’s Elizabeth Vaughan placed second in the recent Music Teachers National Association East Central Piano Division competition held at Baldwin-Wallace College in Ohio. Vaughan, a junior from Highland Park, Ill., is only the second Lawrence pianist to finish first or second in the Young Artist (19-26 years of age) category in the MTNA’s five-state regional competition.

Vaughan won the 2013 MTNA Wisconsin state competition last October to advance to the divisional round. She performed works by Bach, Chopin, Liszt and Scriabin at the regional competition.

The talented and creative network of people in all industries who are committed to improving our community. There are so many potential mentors here and so many ways to get involved. You can start small and work your way into a leadership role in a fairly short time. That’s not always possible in big cities.

What do you enjoy most about living in the Fox Cities?

The Fox Cities possess a beautiful sense of place and tradition. Things like the downtown Christmas parade show how much people connect across the generations here. That kind of relationship to the past isn’t always present in a society that’s becoming more and more fragmented and fast-paced.

What do you think feeds the Fox Cities’ philanthropic environment?

I love the collaborative environment. If you have a new idea, you can pick up the phone and ask a few people for help, and they will (almost! we’re all way too busy!) always say “yes.” Our citizens are wonderfully optimistic. My experience has been that people are willing to take chances on trying something different to get things done.

Where do you see yourself professionally a decade from now?

I’d like to be part of a regional effort connecting higher education with civic engagement and economic development across all ages. I know I’ll continue to be involved with local arts and cultural groups as well as the environmental and LGTBQ issues that are near to my heart, and I’d like to pay forward some of the mentoring I have received by being a role model for other young minority women in the area. On the scholarly side, I hope I will have written another book (or two) 10 years from now!

What does it mean to you to be selected as one of the Future 15?

I honestly was stunned to be selected. I never would have envisioned myself being honored this way. When I moved to the Fox Cities in 2001, I really missed my family and community in California and New York, and it took a while to feel as if I had a place here. It means a great deal to me to know that I’ve made a difference and to have this recognition, especially since I know some of the other nominees and selections from this and previous years and admire them enormously. Being selected as one of the Future 15 also has inspired me to keep working as hard as I can to stay involved!

Alderman John Robin Hill, elected in 2008, and Alderman Kole Oswald, elected in 2010, are leaving the council.

In Oswald’s District 8, a single candidate filed paperwork. Polly Dalton filed last week, meaning she will hold a de facto position on the board barring a write-in campaign.

Dalton, 22, would be the youngest member of the council if elected and the first Lawrence University student to serve on the board in recent memory.

“I wasn’t anticipating not having any opponents, but it’s a nice surprise,” Dalton said. “I’ve gotten to know the people of Appleton and organizations doing great work and see the council as a way to amplify the good things happening in the community.”

...Appleton Mayor Tim Hanna said the new faces could be good additions.

“We’ve seen new faces over the years and just need to work with staff to catch them up to speed,” Hanna said. “Polly (Dalton) has been coming to our meetings for years so she’s got a good amount of knowledge on current issues.”

The DNR's staff has refrained from taking positions in public forums on iron mining since Gogebic Taconite in the spring of 2011 unveiled plans for a massive open pit mine in portions of Ashland and Iron counties.

In a new 97-page report, the DNR doesn't pass judgment on the controversial $1.5 billion project, which the agency must review before Gogebic can proceed with its plans. But the DNR is offering its strongest analysis to date on the possible effects of an iron mine on a watershed composed of 600 lakes and 200 streams that flow to Lake Superior.

...Gogebic's Seitz said the company disagreed with public statements from a contributor, geologist Tom Fitz of Northland College, and the work of another geologist, Marcia Bjornerud of Lawrence University, that is used in the report.

Fitz has said he has found exposed rock at the mine site with long, slender fibers typical of asbestos.

Bjornerud has testified that the mine would create far more waste rock than comparable mines in Minnesota and Michigan.

It's been three months and now Lawrence University and Appleton police are passing out posters around the Fox Valley and beyond.

Police have followed up on leads but are renewing their plea for help from the community.

"It seems like it would be easy to figure out but, yeah, I'm frustrated,” said Shannon Grant, Lawrence University student.

Shannon Grant says she still doesn't remember being struck on the night of October 9. But she hasn't forgotten the physical and emotional pain she's experienced since.

"I guess I am angry because when it happened it was an accident, but now it is a crime,” said Grant.

Grant suffered a broken leg and pelvis. She is still going through rehab, but the sophomore says she wouldn't be where she is without the support of her family, friends, and Lawrence University.

"I feel so unbelievably loved and cared for and it has been a great motivator for me,” said Grant.

And now the school and Appleton police are hoping these posters will be the key to finding the person who hit her. Police began handing them out around the Fox Valley Thursday. They're targeting healthcare and healthcare-related facilities because the driver who hit Grant is seen wearing scrubs when she pulled over to check her car for damage.

"We're keeping it in the forefront which is important to us. We don't want people's interest in it to wane,” said Sgt. Dave Lund, Appleton Police Department.

Meanwhile, fellow students are also frustrated the person responsible hasn't been caught.

"It is frustrating that three months have gone by and no arrests, but until then we all sort of just need to work together,” said William Sefton, Lawrence University senior.

And some are being more careful than ever crossing College Avenue.

"Yes it's just scary there are a lot of cars that go by here really fast."

Grant is hoping the driver that hit her will do the right thing.

"You would think by now she'd kind of be able to bring herself to do it,” said Grant.

Because police and the community aren't giving up the search.

Lawrence University is offering a $2,500 reward.

You are asked to call Sergeant Leitzinger at the Appleton Police Department at (920) 832-5541 with any information.

Police say a 19- year old Lawrence college student was struck in a cross walk and the driver was caught on camera.

The female suspect was wearing scrubs and driving what appears to be a Chevrolet Impala.

Police say about five hundred posters are ready to be distributed across the Fox Valley.

"We're going to begin distributing those at first locally with an emphasis on hospitals, clinics, pharmacies, vet clinics, any place where people normally where scrubs or hospital type wear," said Sgt. Dave Lund of the Appleton Police Department.

The posters feature a description of the suspect, photos of the type of car used and the victim, Shannon Grant, who continues to recover.

In a previous interview, last October, she tells us that an arrest will help her family have closure.

"It would really provide some sense of security for people I know and I think for the community that you know, this person isn't still driving around," said Grant.

Lund added, "It's really our belief again as it has been for quite a while that someone knows this person."

Besides the posters, police have been using social media where the images have been shared more than 11 hundred times.

"As long as people are talking about it and it's part of the public conversation I think that's progress in this case, because eventually someone is going to give us something we need for the investigation," said Lund.

The building was a North Shore Bank branch that closed due to underuse in April 2011. It’s in the middle of the block that also includes Dr. Jekyll’s, Heid Music and the History Museum at the Castle.

Wisconsin Department of Revenue records show the Brookfield-based bank sold the property Nov. 1 to KTW Investments in Appleton for $230,000.

That investor sold it to the nearby Lawrence University for $284,000 on Dec. 30. The 10,800-square-foot, two-story office building, including a 56-car parking lot in the rear, previously had been listed at $395,000.

“We’re still discussing plans for the building and what to do with the space,” said Jake Woodford, assistant to Lawrence president Mark Burstein. “Lawrence is committed to the vibrancy of the downtown district, and we hope that by owning and occupying a long-vacant building, we will support that.”

Besides being a good location in the block west of campus, the spot provided parking. “The parking behind the building will help alleviate some pressure,” Woodford said.

Before North Shore Bank, that location had been TCF Bank. According to Post-Crescent archives, TCF Bank was formerly a part of Republic Savings. Before Republic owned it, it operated as Home Savings and Loan, also known as Home Savings Bank.

The university purchased the empty 10,800 square-foot, two story building and the 56 parking spaces that go with it for 284 thousand dollars. Despite making the purchase, the University says it doesn't know yet what the specific use will be for it. The university says the building's close proximity to the main campus provides a good opportunity to add space.

The university says it bought the building and parking lot at 320 East College Ave. for $284,000. It's a two-story; 10,800-square foot office building that includes a 56-space parking lot.

It most recently house North Shore Bank, but has sat vacant for almost three years.

School leaders indicate they are looking forward to using the parking space, but don't have any specific plans for the building yet.

The Scene (Fox Cities, Wis.)
Jan. 1, 2014
Headline: Extreme Trivia and Tradition: Lawrence University's Great Midwest Trivia Contest
Byline: Hillary Armstrong
Link: http://new.scenenewspaper.com/2014/01/extreme-trivia-and-tradition-lawrence-universitys-great-midwest-trivia-contest/
Excerpt: It is that time of year again, when the cold of January in Wisconsin has all of us huddled indoors looking for entertainment. Well, fire up your computers, make sure the routers and modems are all functioning properly, and prepare for Lawrence University’s annual Great Midwest Trivia Contest, a 50-hour salute to all things insignificant and arcane!

The 400-question marathon, once appropriately described in the Chicago Tribune as “sort of a combination of ‘Animal House’ and ‘Revenge of the Nerds,’ kicks off precisely at 10:00.37 p.m. Friday, January 24 and ends at midnight Sunday, January 26.

Founded in 1966, Trivia Weekend is now considered to be the country’s longest running trivia contest, thanks to the tradition of the university president opening the annual contest by asking the last question, known as the “Super Garruda,” from the previous year.

Last year’s question: Within a sculpture by Mike Sullivan, the creator of “The Sex Life of Robots,” there is a building called “Kino Ironhole.” What is carved into the pavement to the left of the word “lulu?” Make a note: “Big Unit Jizzbot”

The webcast weekend is led by Lawrence students, dubbed “Trivia Masters,” asking an eclectic variety of questions, one every three minutes and filling in time with features such as usual theme hours, diverse music, and crazy action questions. The points per question vary throughout the contest with the last hour’s questions worth the most. Teams call in answers to a phone bank in the WLFM studio.

Addie Goldberg, a senior psychology major from Needham, Massachusetts, and this year’s Trivia Grand Master, described the event as a “post-adolescent unleashing.”

“You have a bunch of on-the-verge-of-over-educated students, holed up in winter in Appleton, coming off of break and looking at the long stretch ahead,” Goldberg explained. “We give them a reason to drop some responsibilities for the weekend, hang out with friends, roll in the snow, drink, and stare at computers.”

CampusGrotto
Dec. 19, 2013
Headline: The 100 Greatest College Traditions
Link: http://www.campusgrotto.com/the-100-greatest-college-traditions.html
Excerpt: One of the greatest aspects of the college experience is being a part of a great college tradition. Traditions can provide a great sense of community, school spirit and overall well-being at a college with many students.

Here we present our ranking of the 100 Greatest College Traditions based on the history, amount of student participation, and overall uniqueness of the tradition. Many of these are long-standing traditions that students and alumni hold dearly. You won’t see any college sports traditions here. We’re saving those for our upcoming ranking of the 100 Greatest College Sports Traditions. Make sure you are signed up to receive our latest articles by email so you know when this ranking becomes available.

As administrations around the country attempt to clamp down on some of these sacred traditions, it's up to students to keep these traditions alive. These traditions are yours; it’s important to keep them going strong so they can be passed down to future generations.

...33. Great Midwest Trivia Contest at Lawrence University

Lawrence University hosts the nation’s longest-running trivia contest, with 50 straight hours of trivia questions from Friday until Sunday. The trivia contest is broadcast live over the Internet so teams both on and off campus can participate. A tradition since 1966, the contest is held on the last weekend in January and begins at 10pm on Friday. Many students will attempt to stay awake for the full duration of the 50-hour trivia marathon. At midnight on Sunday, the teams with the highest scores in the on-campus and off-campus categories are declared the winners, receiving off-the-wall prizes like pink plastic flamingos and stainless-steel bedpans. Williams College also holds a notable trivia contest. The Williams Trivia Contest is a semi-annual event that began in 1966.

Shannon Grant suffered a broken leg and pelvis and road rash in the Oct. 9 crash. Police say the Lawrence sophomore was crossing College Ave. in a marked, lighted crosswalk when she was hit by a car headed west. The driver left the area without stopping to check on Grant's condition.

Last month, Grant told FOX 11 she plans to finish rehabilitation at home in New York and hopes to return to Lawrence in January.

Investigators think the car involved was a silver or gray Chevrolet Impala with a spoiler on the trunk lid. Based on the wheel rims and markings on the vehicle, it is believed to be from a model year between 2010 and 2013. The vehicle may be damaged on the bumper or hood in the area of the driver's side headlight.

Lawrence University and Appleton police are working on creating a flyer with information on the suspect vehicle and driver. Plans call for the flyer to be distributed to businesses, hospitals and schools in the Fox Valley.

Anyone with information is asked to call Sgt. Leitzinger at (920) 832-5541. Anonymous tips can be made by sending a text message, starting with the keyword APDTIPS and followed by the information, to 274637.

Friedlander joined the faculty at Lawrence in 1951 for what was supposed to be a one-year appointment and never left, a statement from the university said. Although she officially retired in 1993, Friedlander continued to teach at least one course each year through the fall of 2012.

A dedicated but demanding teacher, Friedlander held her students to high standards, both in the mastery of German as well as the manners of living, the statement said. Known affectionately to generations of students as “Tante Dorrit” or “Frau Friedlander,” she won the admiration of students through the personal interest she showed them as well as through the cheesecakes she made.

She received Lawrence’s Excellent Teaching Award in 1980, but her love of teaching extended beyond the campus borders as well. She was instrumental in establishing Lawrence’s first foreign language study program in 1967, and was a frequent director of the college’s study-abroad programs in Eningen and Munich, Germany, according to the statement.

Friedlander also served as a house mother, first at the former women’s dormitory Sage Cottage, and later at Ormsby Hall.

Born in 1925 in Berlin, Germany, Friedlander and her family fled the Nazis in the late 1930s. They caught one of the last boats leaving Germany and wound up in Havana, Cuba. Friedlander emigrated to the United States in 1940, and resettled with her family in Mississippi.

She attended the University of Cincinnati, where she earned a bachelor’s degree in Romance Languages and a master’s degree in German. She spent a year teaching at the University of Oklahoma before coming to Lawrence.

A service will be held today at Brettschneider-Trettin-Nickel Funeral Chapel in Appleton with visitation at 10 a.m., and a service at 11 a.m. In lieu of flowers, Friedlander requested memorial contributions be made to Lawrence’s Dorrit Friedlander Scholarship Fund.

Lawrence will celebrate Friedlander’s life and spirit with an on-campus memorial service at a day to be determined.

Orange County Register (Santa Ana, Calif.)
Nov. 18, 2013
Headline: JFK 50 years ago: Four days that changed America
Byline: Michael Hewitt
Link: http://www.ocregister.com/articles/television-537620-kennedy-president.html
Excerpt: Nearly every person old enough to recall Nov. 22, 1963, remembers how they heard the news – from a co-worker, a teacher, a stranger at a coffee shop.

...“Television surprised a lot of people in the way that it rose to the occasion,” Butler's Edgerton said.

And it also showed network executives the potential of their newsrooms, which they had generally viewed as necessary to fulfill the Federal Communications Commission's requirement to serve the public interest, said Jerald Podair, a history professor at Lawrence University in Wisconsin.

“If you want to know how we got from the sober reportage of someone like Edward R. Murrow to today, you've got to start with the Kennedy assassination,” Podair said. “That's when (CBS Chairman William) Paley realized, ‘I could make as much money on Walter Cronkite as I can on ‘The Beverly Hillbillies.'”

But that need for profit also drove the need to create “a mini Kennedy assassination-caliber event every day,” he said. “You start to sensationalize the news; you start to ‘celebritize' the news.”

Post-Crescent (Appleton, Wis.)
Nov. 8, 2013
Headline: Problems, promise of Affordable Care Act aired at conference
Byline: Richard Ryman
Link: http://www.postcrescent.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=2013311080389
Excerpt: Even proponents of the Affordable Care Act are doubtful the signature online marketplace will be fixed by Nov. 30, as federal officials have promised. But their belief in the good the law can do — eventually — is undiminished.

“I think we have a remarkable opportunity to improve the lives of many of our fellow citizens in Wisconsin,” said Bobby Peterson, executive director and public interest attorney for ABC for Health Inc.

More of the discussion Friday at the Wisconsin Institute for Public Policy and Service conference centered on problems and uncertainties involved in the launch of the Affordable Care Act, also known as Obamacare. The conference, titled “It’s Here: The Federal Health Insurance Marketplace in Wisconsin,” was held at the University of Wisconsin-Fox Valley. About 180 people registered for the event.

...Numerous speakers pointed to the inefficiency in the American health care system and the need to pay less and get better health outcomes. Part of that problem is there is no true competition in the U.S. system, said Merton Finkler, chairman of the economic department and Robert Wood Johnson Fellow in Health Care Finance at Lawrence University, Appleton.

“Americans have an instinctive distrust of government and faith in the private market, but are unwilling to accept the harsh verdict of private markets,” Finkler said.

Dehtiar, who was born in Israel and raised in Canada, founded Oliberte Footwear, the first shoe company making premium shoes exclusively in Africa. The company makes shoes with leather uppers sourced from animals that have led free-range lives and uses crepe rubber soles instead of toxic manmade alternatives.

Through Oliberte, Dehtiar hopes to create a million jobs in Africa by 2025.

Dehtiar spoke about social entrepreneurship, human rights and sustainable development Wednesday evening at Lawrence University in Appleton.

“We wanted to do something about that, and also we thought it would be a really nice way to get some recruiting happening to bring students from high schools and middle schools to campus to see we had a developing program,” said Sturm, a professor of jazz studies.

Thirty-three years later, the program is going strong. Lawrence’s annual Jazz Celebration Weekend kicks off Friday, drawing more than 1,000 music students to the Appleton campus for two days of jazz instruction and performance.

It was slow going those first few years, with four or five ensembles and about 100 to 125 students. Within a decade, however, it took off with more than 1,000 students coming to Lawrence’s Jazz Weekend from four different states. It also established a tradition of bringing in viable jazz names for concerts — this year’s headliners being Kate McGarry on Friday and the Yellowjackets on Saturday.

“It was a force already within me when I arrived on the scene,” he said. “It was a necessity for me — like food or water.”

Jazz singer Kate McGarry knows the feeling.

“From the time I was really young, I was singing,” the Massachusetts native said. “It was kind of the only thing I was ever interested in doing. And I think I was really surrounded by it. My parents ... had beautiful voices, and they loved to sing to us and with us. That was a real decisive part of why I am in music. ... We were exposed to it and had such a love of it from birth.”

With five critically acclaimed CDs on the Palmetto Records Label and a 2009 Grammy nomination for Best Vocal Jazz, the Kate McGarry Quartet opens the 33rd annual Lawrence Jazz Celebration Weekend with a 7:30 p.m. concert Friday at Lawrence Memorial Chapel.

Jazz Celebration Weekend is highlighted by two concerts — McGarry on Friday and two-time Grammy Award winners The Yellowjackets on Saturday, also at the chapel. McGarry hangs her hat on jazz vocals while The Yellowjackets are premier instrumentalists.

Fred Sturm, Lawrence professor of jazz studies, said he connected with McGarry for two reasons: She often works with his son, bassist Ike Sturm, in New York, and her pianist is Gary Versace, a former student of Sturm’s.

“Plus, Kate is a real cutting-edge singer,” Sturm said. “She does so many things along the lines of what we’re trying to promote our students to do — to be eclectic in your tastes and your interests. Kate is certainly that.”

EntrepreneurTal Dehtiar will present “Social Entrepreneurship, Human Rights and Sustainable Development” at 7:30 p.m. in the Wriston Art Center auditorium. The free event is the second installment of Lawrence University’s 2013-14 Povolny Lecture Series in International Studies.

Dehtiar’s Ethiopia-based Oliberté Footwear, the world’s first Free Trade Certified footwear company by Fair Trade USA, manufactures shoes with leather uppers sourced from animals that have led free-range lives and crepe rubber soles instead of toxic man-made alternatives. Through Oliberté, Dehtiar hopes to create one million jobs in Africa by 2025 and help establish a thriving middle class.

Aside from chronic back pain that keeps her in bed more than she’d like, Connelly remains a clear thinker, loves to socialize, still invests in the stock market and, in many ways, is a walking history book when it comes to Outagamie County, where she’s spent almost 100 of her years.

...Mark Jenike, associate professor of anthropology at Lawrence University, credits medical and safety advances. The things that used to kill people — diseases, accidents, toxins — are gradually being reduced or eliminated.

“Longevity that we see now,” he said, “is a result of public health, sanitation, medical advances, pollution controls, workplace safety, all the things that we’ve done that reduce sources of mortality. ...

“Some (people) are going to have the characteristics to live really long. I think we’re going to continue to see more and more people living to extreme old age.”

Lifestyle factors start from a very early age, Jenike said. “And, in fact, we’re learning some of them might go back prior to birth. Experiences that your parent had when they were growing up can increase or decrease your risk of developing diabetes or heart disease later in life.”

...Jenike said the trend of people living to 100 is going to keep increasing, at least for a while.

“It’s a topic of a lot of debate among demographers, whether there is a maximum lifespan for years or whether it can just keeping going up and up as we address different things,” he said.

“The interesting thing in some of the data is once you get to be over 100 or 105, your chances of dying the next year start going down because some of those people who live that long just have so many advantages. They have good genes and good environment and good parenting and all kinds of things. It’s a very select group.”

Verona-Cedar Grove Times (Montclair, N.J.)
Oct. 31, 2013
Headline: Cedar Grove native becomes president of Lawrence University
Link: http://www.northjersey.com/news/229992661_Cedar_Grove_native_becomes_president_of_Lawrence_University.html
Excerpt: Cedar Grove's Mark Burstein, who was installed as Lawrence University's 16th president, delivers his inauguration address during a formal installation ceremony on Saturday, Oct. 26. The first Jewish president in the Wisconsin University's 166-year history, Burstein was a former Princeton University executive vice president. Highlighting the event was a surprise video congratulationsfrom Green Bay Packers President Mark Murphy.

Selections in the “Afternoon of Song” program range from classical opera to operetta and musical theater. Included are scenes from Bizet’s “Carmen,” Strauss’ “Die Fledermaus” and Bernstein’s “Candide.” Senior soloists being honored and in the spotlight are Will Doreza, Gabriella Guilfoil, Lauren Koeritzer, Ian Koziara and Kirsten O’Donnell.

After an international career and living abroad for 30 years, Seidl is in her third year on the voice faculty at the Lawrence Conservatory of Music. She also has served on the voice faculties of the Bremen Hochschule für Musik and the Stella Theater Academy in Hamburg, both in Germany, as well as with the Peck School of the Arts at the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee. As a performing vocalist, Seidl was especially known for her interpretations of the music of Bach and Handel and was a favorite soprano of the late violinist and conductor Yehudi Menuhin. Locally, Seidl has appeared as a soloist with Peninsula Music Festival.

University President Christopher Eisgruber ’83 participated in Friday’s inauguration panel discussions while former University President Shirley Tilghman delivered congratulatory remarks during the ceremony. According to a press release by Lawrence University, delegates from over 60 colleges including Princeton, MIT, Stanford and Yale were present at the ceremony.

The inauguration ceremonies began Friday afternoon with panel discussions on incivility in public discourse and the role of a liberal arts education and continued through the night with performances by Lawrence University musicians, before concluding Saturday with the formal installation ceremony. Jill Dolan, director of the Program in Gender and Sexuality Studies at the University and a member of the Lawrence University Board of Trustees, moderated one of the panel discussions.

Minneapolis Star-Tribune (Minneapolis, Minn.)
Oct. 27, 2013
Headline: Lawrence University in Appleton inaugurates its new president, a former Princeton executive
Link: http://www.startribune.com/politics/national/229434811.html
Excerpt: A former Princeton University official has been named the 16th president of Lawrence University in Appleton.

Mark Burstein was formally inaugurated Saturday. The 52-year-old spent nine years at Princeton, where he was an executive vice president.

He now takes over at Lawrence, a liberal-arts school with 1,500 students.

In his inaugural address, Burstein recalled how Lawrence was founded in 1847 with a $10,000 commitment from a Boston businessman. He noted that the Fox Cities area has a larger population now than the entire state of Wisconsin did back then.

Burstein says the school must sustain its sense of creativity and continue to embrace the unknown.

Mark Burstein was formally inaugurated Saturday. The 52-year-old spent nine years at Princeton, where he was an executive vice president.

He now takes over at Lawrence, a liberal-arts school with 1,500 students.

In his inaugural address, Burstein recalled how Lawrence was founded in 1847 with a $10,000 commitment from a Boston businessman. He noted that the Fox Cities area has a larger population now than the entire state of Wisconsin did back then.

Burstein says the school must sustain its sense of creativity and continue to embrace the unknown.

The former Princeton University executive officially took over for Jill Beck on July 1, after her retirement in June.

An official inauguration ceremony was held in Burstein's honor at the Lawrence Memorial Chapel.

Delegates from more than 60 colleges and universities from across the country were on hand.

They included the presidents of MIT, Princeton and Yale.

For Burstein, joining their ranks is a new experience.

"Being a first time president is full of learning, and in some ways that's a wonderful thing because we are learning institutions. So for me, I should be learning as well as my students on campus learning," said Burstein.

The ceremony was just one event in a weekend of celebrations in Burstein's honor.

Representatives from more than 60 colleges across the country, including Yale, MIT, Wake Forest and Stanford universities, are expected to attend. The ceremony begins at 9:30 a.m. in the Memorial Chapel.

“I believe a liberal arts education provides an excellent foundation for future success and is the most effective way to ensure that social mobility continues in American society,” Burstein said in a press release. “Education has been the cornerstone of my career – just as a Lawrence education has allowed its alumni to thrive in their chosen professions. Given the challenges that face society today, I expect the value of a liberal arts education and specifically the Lawrence experience will only increase in the years ahead.”

Mark Burstein, who was inaugurated Saturday, detailed the efforts to establish a university on frontier land. He said Lawrence’s community today, like its founders, is learning and growing in an environment “on the boundary between what is known and what is new.”

It’s an environment in which Lawrence thrives, he says.

“We know how to fully embrace the frontier, the unknown, the radical, the unexpected,” Burstein said, “because we have done it before.”

Members of the Lawrence University community and academic leaders from throughout the country gathered in Appleton on Saturday morning for Burstein’s inauguration. The ceremony at Lawrence Memorial Chapel was attended by delegates representing more than 60 colleges and universities from across the country. The delegates included 13 presidents.

Burstein, who previously served as executive vice president of Princeton University, was chosen last year to succeed Jill Beck following the announcement of her retirement.

Appleton Mayor Tim Hanna offered a welcome on behalf of “the city that exists because Lawrence exists.”

He talked of the concurrent histories, growth of the city and university and their partnership. Hanna mentioned the university motto — “Light! More Light!” — in expressing his confidence.

A native of Cedar Grove, N.J., Burstein is the first Jewish president in Lawrence's 166-year history.

Delegates, including 13 presidents, representing more than 60 colleges, universities and academic consortia from across the country, Princeton, MIT, Stanford and Yale among them, participated in the inauguration ceremonies.

Former Princeton President Shirley Tilghman was among the dignitaries who delivered remarks of congratulations during the 70-minute ceremony, which was highlighted by a surprise video congratulations from Green Bay Packers President Mark Murphy.

Burstein, 52, spent nine years (2004-2013) at Princeton before coming to Lawrence. Prior to Princeton, Burstein spent 10 years at Columbia University in various roles, including vice president of facilities management and vice president of student services.

He earned a bachelor's degree in history from Vassar College, where he is a member of the Board of Trustees, and an MBA from The Wharton School at the University of Pennsylvania.

The event for Burstein, 52, attracted a prestigious gathering of academic leaders, including former Princeton President Shirley Tilghman and current Vassar President Catharine Bond Hill. Tilghman and Hill were among the dignitaries who delivered congratulatory remarks during the 70-minute ceremony.

Burstein was executive vice president at Princeton before accepting the presidency at Lawrence University in Appleton, which has about 1,500 students. He is a 1984 graduate of Vassar, where he is also a member of the college's Board of Trustees.

Burstein was accompanied in the inauguration procession by delegates from more than 60 colleges, universities and academic consortia from across the country, including 13 presidents and representatives of MIT, Stanford and Yale.

Green Bay Packers President Mark Murphy made a surprise appearance in a video of congratulations. After the video, Appleton Mayor Tim Hanna presented Burstein with a Green Bay Packers jersey, No. 16, symbolic for Lawrence's 16th president in its 166-year history.

In his inaugural address, "Frontier: A State of Mind," Burstein referred to Lawrence's founding in 1847 with a $10,000 commitment from Boston businessman Amos Lawrence.

"Now, how do we, at a time when the Fox Cities has a larger population than all of the state had at our founding, sustain this creative sense of an institution on the frontier of knowledge, social acceptance and learning," Burstein asked in his remarks. "We know how to fully embrace the frontier, the unknown, the radical, the unexpected because we have done it before.

"If we can take inspiration from our founding on the frontier — this state of mind — of human discovery, learning, and community values," he added, "our college will continue to make important contributions to this nation and the world, and will thrive for the next century and beyond."

Prior to his nine years at Princeton, Burstein spent 10 years at Columbia University in various roles, including vice president of facilities management and vice president of student services.

In addition to a bachelor's degree in history from Vassar, Burstein earned an MBA from The Wharton School at the University of Pennsylvania.

He's a former Princeton executive vice president. Delegates representing more than 60 colleges and universities from across the country attended the pomp and circumstance.

President Burstein also received a congratulations video from Packers president and CEO Mark Murphy.

"Lawrence is an extraordinary institution, and one with a real, rich history, and set of traditions, so it just makes you think about, and what it means to re president of such an institution," said Burstein.

President Burstein says one goal of his is to strengthen the school's bond with the Fox Cities.

Post-Crescent (Appleton, Wis.)
Oct. 26, 2013
Headline: Civic Life Project sheds light on local issues
Byline: Jen Zettel
Link: http://post.cr/16JlKBi
Excerpt: Community members have the opportunity to attend a free screening of five documentaries created by Lawrence University students next week.

Catherine Tatge, a Lawrence University alumna and documentary filmmaker, guided the students through the filmmaking process through the Civic Life Project. Tatge was the guest on Thursday’s edition of Newsmakers, Post-Crescent Media’s online issues show.

Tatge discussed the Civic Life Project and the impact it had on the students and community. Here’s an edited transcript of the interview:

Tell us a little bit about how the Civic Life Project came about.

My husband and I started the Civic Life Project about four years ago in the state of Connecticut. We have done documentary films for public television for many years, and we were working on a big project for national PBS on democracy.

We started talking about it and we thought, ‘Who do we really need to reach to see what we can do in terms of preserving our democracy and making people feel like they have a responsibility?’ And we thought, ‘Well we really need to focus on young people.’ That’s how the project started. We started at a private school in Connecticut. We tested it out and then we brought it to the public school system.

I was asked two years ago to come to Lawrence to help them set up the film program and I said, ‘We have this project, and I would really love to see what happens in a liberal arts environment with students at that level.’ So that’s how we started.

TheBillfold.com
Oct. 25, 2013
Headline: Lured to College Thanks to the Ability to Rent a Matisse
Byline: Mike Dang
Link: http://thebillfold.com/2013/10/lured-to-college-thanks-to-the-ability-to-rent-a-matisse/
Excerpt: Margaret Ritten, 19 years old, wanted to go to a small liberal arts college. She was accepted at several good schools across the country. Her choice? A college that would let her rent a priceless work of art to hang in her dorm.

“I was looking at Bard College, Occidental and Oberlin,” says Ms. Ritten, now a freshman. “But I came to Oberlin because I was so impressed with a school that trusted students to handle Picassos and Matisses.”

I’ve heard lots of reasons for why a students choose to go to specific colleges, but this is the first time I’ve heard someone say they chose to go to a school because they were trusted with priceless works of art to decorate their dorm rooms with (Oberlin College’s Art Rental program began in 1940 and allows students to borrow art for $5; students line up more than 22 hours in advance for this privilege). There is also a student who says he decided to stay at Lawrence University in Appleton, Wis. instead of transferring to one of the Ivies because Lawrence hosts The Great Midwest Trivia Contest, a 50-hour Internet-broadcast trivia event held every January. At William and Mary, students love the Raft Debates, in which professors pretend they’re stranded on a deserted island and argue why their discipline will save humanity (see this episode of This American Life). I chose my school mostly because it was affordable and had a good reputation, but if money weren’t an issue, I suppose I would have taken these kinds of campus traditions and offerings into account.

Five short documentary videos produced by Lawrence University students for its Civic Life Project will be shown from 6:30 to 8:30 p.m. in the commons on the FVTC Grand Chute campus, 1825 N. Bluemound Drive. Use south parking lot, entrance 6.

As part of the screening, short audience discussions facilitated by Lawrence students will be conducted after each video.

The Civic Life Project is an educational tool created by award-winning documentary filmmaker and 1972 Lawrence graduate Catherine Tatge and her husband, Dominique Lasseur. Topics for the videos grew out of conversations Tatge conducted with Fox Cities community leaders to identify issues of local concern. Three-member teams of Lawrence students shared roles of writer, editor, producer, director and videographer in creating the documentaries.

Moran took part in a panel discussing civility in the world as part of this weekend's inaugural celebration for Lawrence University's new president Mark Burstein.

Moran graduated from Lawrence in 1982 and eventually landed a job in network news.

Most recently, he's been covering the Syrian crisis from the front lines.

"It's gone from a civil war with two sides to a viper's pit of gangsterism to criminality, extremism, opportunistic kidnapping and killing, vendetta and major military operations with bombing runs and artillery and rockets," he said.

Moran has been in Syria twice already and expects to return before the end of the year.

He says it's an assignment that comes with many challenges.

"It's a terrible situation...a terribly complex situation...situation where there are no really good options for American policy, and yet a situation of such tremendous suffering that it just cries out for us to care about it, know about it and do something about it," he said.

In a tradition that dates back to at least the early 1980s, as many as 80,000 people — students and out-of-towners alike — flood nearby Franklin Street every year on October 31 to celebrate at an open-air party that attracts visitors from across the Southeast. Elaborate costumes are common, as are alcohol-related incidents and other not-too-surprising troubles, so the community has been trying to dial down the unsanctioned event for years. (As is the University of Colorado at Boulder, home of another epic Halloween celebration. This year the university sent out a memo urging students not to wear costumes that could be considered racist or offensive, after a series of recent controversies at the school.)

...Trivia contests: Lawrence University in Appleton, Wis., has been hosting the Great Midwest Trivia Contest, a 50-hour trivia marathon that attracts players from around the world, every January since 1966. Broadcast online as well as via the university’s student-run radio station, the event is also sometimes called the “world’s longest-running trivia contest,” because the last question from the current year comes up again as the first question the next year.

Many colleges are battling back with so-called signature events. Classic examples are athletic events emphasizing school spirit—think of the Harvard-Yale football game, or the Indy 500 bike race at Indiana University. Others emphasize a quirkier spirit: At tiny Harvey Mudd College in Claremont, Calif., the Foster's Run has students unicycling about 9 miles to the local doughnut shop.

..."One of the contestants last year, representing the humanities, did a literal song-and-dance that I thought was spectacular," says Arthur Knight, an associate professor of English who participated in 2012 as the Devil's Advocate, or the person arguing that all disciplines were useless. Another year, he says, someone sang an entire presentation to the tune of Don McLean's "American Pie."

The Great Midwest Trivia Contest, a 50-hour Internet-broadcast trivia event hosted each January at Lawrence University in Appleton, Wis., draws players from around the world. Since Internet use is allowed, it is more about research skills than memorizing the author of "A Cloud in Trousers." (Answer: Vladimir Mayakovsky.)

The contest includes 100-point questions that are all but unanswerable, says Lawrence spokesman Richard Peterson.

In one memorable instance, players incurred the ire of local radio personality Spike O'Dell when they called at midnight to ask about the specifics of his coffee cup museum. (No team figured out what comedian Tracey Ullman had written on her cup. Answer: "To Spike, I don't have herpes, love Tracey Ullman.")

The contest is "about finding a way to learn and laugh at the things that might slip through the cracks," says Greg Peterson (no relation), 24, who graduated from Lawrence in 2011 with degrees in political science and Russian culture. Mr. Peterson, a fan of trivia contests, took home $38,600—and second place—in the 2007 Teen Jeopardy! Summer Tournament.

"When I started at Lawrence, I still had my mind set on transferring to an Ivy or Northwestern, but the trivia contest was one of the things," that kept him at Lawrence, Mr. Peterson says.

Similarly, Addy Goldberg, 22, this year's Trivia Grand Master, says he heard about the event in a promotional video before setting foot on campus. "It was such a tiny slice of a video," he says, "but even just seeing that bit kept Lawrence in the running when deciding on schools."

Post-Crescent (Appleton, Wis.)
Oct. 22, 2013
Headline: Lawrence University awards Boys & Girls Club with Collaboration in Action Award
Byline: Jen Zettel
Link: http://post.cr/163o1du
Excerpt: The fifth annual Lawrence University Report to the Community highlighted the importance of engaging college students with people and organizations in the Fox Cities.

University officials awarded the Boys & Girls Club of the Fox Valley with the 2012-13 Collaboration in Action Award, which recognizes an organization or individual who has provided service to the Fox Cities in collaboration with Lawrence. The partnership between Lawrence and the club started soon after the club formed in the late 1990s.

Lawrence alumna Olivia Hendricks serves as the university’s direct link to the Boys & Girls Club, where she helped start the Self-Agency in Youth program as an AmeriCorps VISTA. The program includes the Beautiful You African American Girls’ and the Hmong Youth Pride and Empowerment groups, which offer minority teens places to discuss their futures without fear of being judged on their ethnicity or background.

Post-Crescent (Appleton, Wis.)
Oct 20, 2013
Headline: Kiplinger's Personal Finance cites Lawrence University as best private college value
Link: http://www.postcrescent.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=2013310210096
Excerpt: Kiplinger’s Personal Finance has named Lawrence University one of the country’s best values among private colleges in its 2014 annual list of the top 100 private universities and top 100 liberal arts colleges from among the nation’s more than 2,100 four-year, nonprofit public and private colleges.

Lawrence, ranked 96th, and the other schools selected for the 2014 list represent the colleges that provide high-quality academics at a reasonable cost. Kiplinger’s draws its list from colleges that exemplify the attributes parents and students look for in higher education, including small class sizes, a good freshman retention rate and a high four-year graduation rate.

“It may seem counterintuitive to have so many private colleges, which generally look quite expensive, listed as ‘values,’” said Ken Anselment, Lawrence’s dean of admissions and financial aid, “but Kiplinger’s has hit the right notes in their assessment by shining a light on the return on the investment. It’s a subtle, but important, shift in perspective.”

In compiling its rankings, Kiplinger’s measures academic quality and affordability. Academic criteria include the student admission rate, the test scores of incoming freshmen, student-faculty ratio, and the four- and five-year graduation rates. On the cost side, Kiplinger’s measures the sticker price, the availability and average amount of need-based and merit-based financial aid, and the average student debt at graduation.

Pittsburgh Post-Gazette (Pittsburgh, Penn.)
Oct. 20, 2013
Headline: George Washington library fills 216-year void
Byline: Tracie Mauriello
Link: http://www.post-gazette.com/stories/news/us/george-washington-library-fills-216-year-void-708288/
Excerpt: In 1797, carpenters were slathering Prussian blue paint on parlor walls, replacing mahogany paneling in the entryway and installing a stove in a sleeping chamber, but George Washington had something else in mind for his beloved Mount Vernon -- a separate structure on his green estate on the Potomac.

"I have not houses to build, except one, which I must erect for the accommodation and security of my military, civil and private papers, which are voluminous and may be interesting," he wrote in a letter to friend and aide James McHenry of Maryland in April 1797, a month after his presidency ended.

It has taken 216 years, but the first president finally has his library.

The Fred W. Smith National Library for the Study of George Washington opened last month on the lush plantation where Washington made his home before and after his presidency. The 45,000-square-foot, sandstone-and-limestone building occupies a 15-acre plot just a few hundred yards north of Washington's historic home.

..."The people running Mount Vernon are incredibly protective of Washington, so one wonders how they're going to treat the issue of Washington and slaves," said Jerald Podair, a presidential scholar and professor of history at Lawrence University in Wisconsin.

..."They seem to have an exceptional library of books from the era, and those aren't easy to find," said Mr. Podair, who has explored the collection online and intends to visit soon.

..."I don't know that they're going to find a treasure trove of new information or a smoking gun, but I don't think that's the purpose," Mr. Podair said. Rather, he said, the library can help fill a void by providing a more well-rounded picture of the founder, statesman, general and plantation manager.

"He is not really well understood by Americans. He's like a granite man and almost carved in stone and not real," Mr. Podair said. "This library will help flesh-and-blood him out. It will help show how wise he was in many ways."

A website used by hundreds of colleges around the country to process applications is having issues following a new update.

The timing couldn't be worse, as the clock is ticking for students to turn in their applications.

November 1 might just be another date on the calendar to some people. But try telling that to high school seniors.

Crunch time for early college application deadlines. And some Appleton East students are among the thousands around the county having trouble completing their application to their school of choice.

Hundreds of schools use the Common Application website to process enrollments. But a glitch with the system going paperless for the first time this year is causing big problems.

"What we're trying to do is encourage calm,” said Ken Anselment, Lawrence University Dean of Admissions.

For students trying to apply to Lawrence University in Appleton, the Common Application is currently the only way in. Ken Anselment says his department is helping students who are having problems. Anselment says the university may resort to paper if the website isn't fixed soon.

"Throw it old school if we have to do it, we don't want the mechanism of the application to be the reason people can't apply to the college they want to attend,” he said.

Representatives from more than 60 colleges across the country, including Yale, MIT, Wake Forest and Stanford universities, are expected to attend. The ceremony, which begins at 9:30 a.m. in the Memorial Chapel, is free and open to the public, but tickets are required. Contact the Lawrence Box Office, 920-832-6590.

In addition to Burstein, inauguration ceremony speakers include Appleton Mayor Tim Hanna, former Princeton University president Shirley Tilghman and Vassar College president Catherine Bond Hill. Burstein is a graduate of Vassar and spent nine years as an executive vice president at Princeton before coming to LU.

As part of the inauguration activities, Lawrence will host a pair of panel discussions on Friday in Stansbury Theatre of the Music-Drama Center. They are “Civil Communities in an Age of Incivility” at 1:30 p.m. and “The Issue of Difference and the Liberal Arts” at 3:30 p.m. The first panel will be moderated by ABC News chief foreign correspondent Terry Moran, a 1982 Lawrence graduate. Both are free and open to the public, but a ticket, available through the box office, is required.

The college’s musical talents will be showcased from 8 to 10 p.m. Friday. With genres ranging from classical to rock, funk to jazz, “Lawrence Performs” features a series of six simultaneous concerts at both conventional and nontraditional venues. The audience is encouraged to stroll the campus and enjoy performances in Harper Hall, Wriston Art Center galleries, Steitz Hall of Science Atrium, Main Hall Portico, the Viking Room in Memorial Hall and the Mudd Library. Specific details will be available in the lobby of the Music-Drama Center.

Selections will range from classical opera, operetta and music theater including scenes from Bizet's Carmen, Strauss's die Fledermaus, Bernstein's Candide and more. Senior soloists being honored and in the spotlight are Will Doreza, Gabriella Guilfoil, Lauren Koeritzer, Ian Koziara and Kirsten O'Donnell.

After an international career and living abroad for thirty years, northeastern Wisconsin native soprano Seidl, is enjoying her third year on the voice faculty at Lawrence. Seidl has made several appearances as soloist with the Peninsula Music Festival while vacationing in Door County.

This free concert is sponsored by the Boynton Society and will be held in the serene surroundings of Björklunden’s Vail Hall. The entrance to Björklunden is located on Highway 57, south of Baileys Harbor, across from Anschutz Plumbing.

Journal Sentinel (Milwaukee, Wis.)
Oct. 17, 2013
Headline: Common Application problems send panicked students scurrying
Byline: Karen Herzog
Link: http://bit.ly/H0MBTj
Excerpt: Ken Anselment offers a yoga instructor's advice to high school seniors and parents who are panicking about glitches in an online college application system used by more than 500 institutions to decide who gets in and who doesn't.

"Take a deep breath. Hold it. Lower your shoulders. Exhale."

Anselment, dean of admissions and financial aid for Lawrence University, wrote on the school's admissions blog: "Your application to Lawrence will be OK."

The system, known as the Common Application, is the only way to apply to Lawrence, at least for now. The school is working on a Plan B if the bugs aren't worked out of the latest version of the Common App — bugs such as portions of essays being deleted or jumbled, submitted applications or parts of applications not going through, even double charges for the same application.

Frustration is mounting as the Nov. 1 deadline for early decision applications looms for many universities and colleges across the country.

The early decision deadline is for students who are certain they want to attend a particular school. It might be their best chance of getting in, especially if it's a top-flight institution, because schools tend to admit a higher percentage of applicants who apply early.

Lawrence University is telling prospective students that if problems with the Common App persist over the next week, the school will be flexible.

"Students are nervous, their families are nervous, their counselors are nervous, and the colleges waiting to receive their apps are nervous," Anselment said. "We're trying to be a calming voice."

The renowned cartoonist and graphic novelist built her career and identity from existing on the fringe. Bechdel, a politically active lesbian, spoke Tuesday at Lawrence University about her work, including the “Dykes to Watch Out For” comic and “Fun Home: A Family Tragicomic” graphic novel.

As gay rights have gained mainstream traction, Bechdel is finding herself in an unfamiliar place — on the inside.

“For most of my career I was like on the margins and kind of banging on the door, let me in, let me be part of this, and all of a sudden I became part of it,” she said. “It was sort of unmooring.”

Bechdel, who grappled to find her place in the world, said it is amazing but mind-bending to see young people come out into supportive communities.

“I just haven’t quite gotten used to it,” she said. “I hoped for all of these kinds of changes to happen, but I had no idea they would have happened so quickly. We’re not there yet, but unimaginable gains have been made.”

Post-Crescent (Appleton, Wis.)
Oct. 14, 2013
Headline: Local blow: Default would trickle to Fox Valley
Byline: Nick Penzenstadler
Link: http://post.cr/1aINNDo
Excerpt: With the potential of a U.S. default on the horizon, Fox Valley bankers, economists and county leaders are on edge.

The consensus: If authority isn’t given to raise the nation’s borrowing authority above the $16.7 trillion debt limit by Thursday, consequences Friday could be moderate. But there’s a possibility it could cause a huge dent in the economy.

...However the negotiations play out this week, it will result in a negative outcome, given the unnecessary brinksmanship, said Merton Finkler, an economics professor at Lawrence University.

He figures that at best, the high-stakes dance will disrupt economic markets and at worst could lead to a collapse in the Treasuries structure that would swamp the bond market.

“There’s no bad stone unturned in this — if nothing happens by Thursday the markets will turn south,” Finkler said. “The rest of the world will ask why, and we can dream up nuclear scenarios about how it plays out, but we need to avoid it.”

Green Bay Press-Gazette (Green Bay, Wis.)
Oct. 10, 2013
Headline: Lover comes home sweet home for laughs in film
Byline: Kendra Meinert
Link: http://gbhub.bz/16Bb7DZ
Excerpt: It’s not quite up there with sporting authentic Vulcan ears for the big screen or even being pregnant last week on a CBS sitcom, but the chance to spend a few weeks back home in Green Bay while filming a movie at her alma mater — during a glorious stretch of fall weather, no less — is still pretty sweet duty for Jill Lover.

When filmmaker Allan Katz first contacted her about taking a role in “Long Live the Squirrels,’’ the comedy he’s currently shooting on and around the Lawrence University campus in Appleton, she was the first to sign on.

“I said yes before I even read the script,’’ said Lover, a 1989 Green Bay East High School and 1993 Lawrence graduate who moved to Los Angeles 18 years ago to become an actress.

The grant, part of Great Lakes’ 2013-14 Career Ready Internship Initiative, will provide funding to create new, paid internships for Lawrence juniors and seniors and to convert currently unpaid internships into paid ones.

The goal is to “level the playing field” by providing opportunities for all students to work in their field of study while still in college, not just those who can afford to go without a salary, said Mary Meany, dean of career services. When students are unable to participate in an internship for financial reasons, they miss out on invaluable, real-world experience that can make them more competitive in the job market after graduation.

Internships supported by the grant will be made available to students who qualify for need-based financial aid.

Lawrence is one of 19 Wisconsin colleges and universities to receive some of the more than $2.5 million in Career Ready Internship Initiative grant funds awarded by Great Lakes. Schools will collaborate with businesses and nonprofit organizations across the state to create the new paid internships.

La Opinion
Oct. 9, 2013
Headline: Activists unable advancing immigration reform
Byline: Marrero Pilar
Link: http://bit.ly/1bZwYWI
Excerpt: Activists have worked: on Saturday was nearly 200 events across the country to give Congress a "ultimatum" on immigration reform and yesterday, after a festive meeting and concert featuring popular bands and singers in the "National Mall" Several Democratic congressmen participated in civil disobedience, leaving arrest to protest the lack of action on immigration reform.

...Jerald Podair, professor of history at Lawrence University in Wisconsin, said that social movements the "timing" is everything and this is possibly the worst of moments. "These organized marches were long, but right now in Washington and the English media does not talk about anything other than the government shutdown."

It is also true, said Podair, which seems to have a massive presence of people in the streets, beyond several thousand activists. "For ordinary people hit the streets there needs to be a hook, motivator and timely event that will motivate them," he says. "It seems that this is the case."

This story also appeared in the Spanish publications El Diario and El Mensajero (links unavailable.)

Jill Dolan, Sarah Schott and Abir Sen each began a three-year term on the board Oct. 1. They join Martha Olson, who was appointed to the board in May, as four members of Lawrence’s 2013 class of trustees.

Dolan teaches at Princeton University, where she is the Annan Professor in English, professor of theater in the Lewis Center for the Arts and the director of the program in Gender and Sexuality Studies.

Schott is an executive officer, vice president and chief compliance officer at Northwestern Mutual in Milwaukee. She joined Northwestern Mutual’s law department in 2007 as assistant general counsel. She subsequently served as director of strategic planning and consulting and as director of specialty life underwriting in the new business department.

Sen, a health care entrepreneur, has founded a number of companies that have revolutionized the health benefits industry. He is the co-founder and CEO of Gravie, which helps individuals select, buy and pay for their own health insurance and manage all their health care affairs in one place.

Sen previously co-founded Minneapolis-based Bloom Health in 2009 and served as its CEO. Prior to Bloom, Sen co-founded RedBrick Health, an innovative wellness company, in 2006 and served as its president. He also co-founded Definity Health, the first consumer-driven health plan, in 1998.

They performed a new composition by John Luther Adams called Inuksuit.

It's part of the "New Music Series" at the college.

But it's not your typical concert. Most of the instruments, mainly percussion and flute, simulate nature sounds.

Organizers say it's unique in its own way.

"The idea is for the performance to surround the audience so the audience is supposed to kind of walk among the performers and we're spread over the entire green here," said Michael Mizrahi with Lawrence University.

The piece was written for about 99 percussionists, but only about 60 musicians took part in the event.

As of July 1, Burstein, 52, became the first Jewish president of Lawrence University, a 165-year-old institution based in Appleton that is widely regarded as one of the state’s and nation’s finest private liberal arts universities.

But he doesn’t just bring a uniquely Jewish background to the job.

“He just had a really unique set of skills and experiences that made him the perfect choice for the position,” according Nancy Wall.

Wall is associate professor of biology at Lawrence. She was one of four faculty members — plus one alumna, two students and eight trustees — on the university’s search committee, which she said decided unanimously to hire Burstein.

Wall said his experiences include having seen academic life from almost all angles. His mother was a professor of English at Drew University in Madison, N.J., which meant “he grew up at a liberal arts college and saw the life of a professor.”

“In 1968, they were from Appleton, they went to Lawrence University. ... They had this one-hit wonder song, ‘Do the Squirrel,’ and they became local heroes for a short period of time and then they got a gig in Europe — kind of a tour thing — and the plane crashed and disappeared.”

Don’t be alarmed if the Squirrels’ story doesn’t ring a bell.

“Then I say they just recently found the plane,” he goes on. “They were doing some excavation near a ski resort or whatever and they found the plane and it was buried in snow and ice and they found them inside frozen.

“You get the expressions on peoples faces, like, ‘Oh my God, that must be terrible!’ And they’re visualizing. And I say they bring them back to Appleton and they defrost them.

“And then they say, ‘Is this a true story?’”

It’s not, of course. And as Bucky and the Squirrels thaw out and realize they need to revive their music careers to pay for 50 years of back taxes, that should become quite apparent.

“Long Live the Squirrels” is the title of the absurd comedy and faux documentary that’s in the works at Lawrence University, written, directed and produced by Katz, a Los Angeles-based entertainment industry veteran.

"The cello ensemble is interesting because we can cover such a range of registers, from baritone up to soprano," said Lawrence Cello Professor Janet Anthony.

She said this year's group of students in the cello ensemble will record a CD of the LUCE-written pieces later in the year, and the Bjorklunden concert will be an opportunity to play perhaps a half-dozen of the 15 to 16 works she hopes to include on the CD.

"My students love coming up to Bjorklunden," Anthony said. "We all really enjoy coming up. We see regulars who have been coming to our concerts for four or five years. We'll miss Rik Warch (former president of Lawrence who retired to Door County with his wife, Margot, in 2005), of course, who passed away (on Sept. 14). He came to everything. He came to everything when he was president as well. He was very, very supportive. So we're looking to see some old friends and meet some new friends."

Catherine Tatge is with the school's film studies program. She says it tells the story of a 1960s Lawrence University band that was a one-hit wonder. She says their plane crashed, in the Swiss Alps, during their first world tour, and they're found about 50 years later. Tatge says they were frozen alive, and thawed.

She says when the IRS comes after them for back taxes, The Squirrels" try to make a comeback.

The director is Allan Katz. He was a former writer and producer for a number of TV comedies, including M*A*S*H and Rosanne.

The fourth edition of Kaleidoscope, featuring the talents of more than 300 Lawrence students, will be performed at 8 p.m. Saturday at the Fox Cities Performing Arts Center in downtown Appleton.

Tickets, at $15 for adults, $10 for senior citizens and $7 for students, are available at both the Lawrence Box Office, 920-832-6749, and the Fox Cities Performing Arts Center Box Office, 920-730-3760.

Kaleidoscope’s nonstop, 70-minute format will run the gamut from traditional Russian choral music to Latin orchestral rhythms to 11 bassoons churning out Beatles classics and an excerpt from the finale of Beethoven’s Ninth Symphony. Both large ensembles and chamber groups will be spotlighted.

The Kaleidoscope4 concert is presented through the support of the Appleton Group. An encore presentation of Kaleidoscope4 will be broadcast on Wisconsin Public Television in early 2014.

The award honors individuals and organizations that work with Lawrence to provide exemplary service to the Fox Cities. The club will be recognized Oct. 22 during the college’s annual report to the community.

The college has forged a mutually beneficial relationship with the club by enriching the club’s youth programing and giving Lawrence students leadership and learning opportunities.

Around 25 percent of students enrolled at Lawrence in any given year are music majors, but many more, drawn here by the musically rich environment, take classes in the conservatory and participate in the various choirs and ensembles, from the Appletones a capella group to the Electronic Music Club.

"Sometimes there's a bassoon group playing at dinner," says Oumou Cisse, a sophomore studying anthropology. "We have a lot of students who are wonderful musicians who also happen to be anthropology majors and geology majors," says Ken Anselment, dean of admissions and financial aid.

[Read these five reasons to get involved in college activities.]

Lawrentians who can't choose between music performance and international studies don't have to. The university offers a five-year program through which they can earn dual degrees from both the College of Liberal Arts and the conservatory. Roughly half of Lawrence's music majors choose this route, says Brian Pertl, dean of the conservatory.

Athletes are right at home here, too. Some 25 percent of Lawrence undergrads are involved in athletics; the school fields 22 varsity teams in sports from baseball and hockey to swimming and diving that compete at the Division III level.

Many others participate in club sports. But the common stereotypes of jocks, frat kids and band geeks do not apply here, Cisse says of the school's social circles. "Everyone is pretty much everywhere."

Chronicle of Higher Education
Sept. 23, 2013
Headline: Transitions: People in Academe
Link: http://chronicle.com/article/New-Deans-Are-Named-for-U-of/141791
Excerpt: Richard Warch, president of Lawrence University from 1979 to 2004, died of cancer on September 14. He was 74. During his tenure, he revitalized Björklunden, an estate on Lake Michigan that was bequeathed to the institution, so it could be used for weekend seminars for faculty and students.

Specializing in contemporary and traditional music of West Africa and the Middle East, Mathis has been traveling to The Gambia in West Africa to study since 1997. His interpretations of traditional music have earned him recognition from the Gambian president, the minister of culture and national television and radio of The Gambia.

Williams explores themes of body topography, play, home and pose in her installation, “Homegrown,” in the Kohler Gallery. Her work focuses on reconfiguring the familiar into alien territory.

The new exhibition on the Lawrence University campus runs through Nov. 27. A reception follows the lecture and both are free.

The Leech Gallery features works from the Wriston’s permanent collection as well as copies of fashion plates from Europe and America in “Capturing Modernity: Art, Fashion, and Artifice.” Curated by Elizabeth Carlson, associate professor of art history, the collection examines the correlation between turn-of-the-century fashion and emerging modernity.

Sculptor Alison Stehlik’s installation “Where-House” in the Hoffmaster Gallery explores the relationship between the architectural space that is a home and the products and possessions that fill that space.

His leadership roles at Ridgewood helped pave the way for a career as a university president.

Mr. Warch, an ordained minister in the Presbyterian Church, was 39 years old when he was elected president of Lawrence University, a small, highly ranked liberal arts school in Appleton, Wis. He served 25 years, retiring in 2004.

He died of cancer Saturday at his home in Ellison Bay, Wis. He was 74.

Humor was second nature to Warch. It was part of his brilliance. If you met him, you knew that. You can see it in photographs, where he and everyone around him are smiling, and you can see he is the source. And you can read it in his writing, which sparkles with lively and humane wit.

Rik Warch, the second-longest serving president of Lawrence University (1979-2004), died after a battle with cancer of the thymus on Saturday, Sept. 14, at his home in Ellison Bay. He was 74.

New Jersey Jewish News
Sept. 18, 2013
Headline: NJ man is college's first Jewish president
Byline: Elaine Durbach
Link: http://njjewishnews.com/article/18453/nj-man-is-colleges-first-jewish-president#.UjtRWKxLiAh
Excerpt: In announcing Mark Burstein’s appointment as president of Lawrence University in Appleton, Wis., the college mentioned his unconventional path to the position. That wasn’t a reference to the fact that he is the first Jewish president appointed in the liberal arts college’s 165-year history nor to his time working on a dairy farm in Israel.

It referred rather to the fact that Burstein worked for New York City’s sanitation department and as an investment banker.

As unlikely as those jobs sound as steps to a college presidency, Burstein, who grew up in Cedar Grove, points to them as integral to his professional development. They also fed the fascination with liberal arts education that made him want to take on the leadership of this institution with a student body of 1,500.

“It’s organizational life rather than leadership that interests me,” he said, “finding ways to help people realize their potential together.”

Prior to his Lawrence appointment in July, he put that interest into action as executive vice president at Princeton University, where he served for nine years. He was hired there after working for 10 years at Columbia University in New York in three different administrative roles.

At first, he said, he was “ambivalent about taking the Princeton position because I wanted to work with an institution that had unfulfilled capability, to be part of a group that can become better at what they do.”

“And then I saw that as excellent as Princeton was, there were opportunities for improvement.”

He acknowledged that his choice to move from the Ivy League to a smaller campus elicited some surprise. But, as he told NJJN, he — together with his partner of 24 years, David Calle — made a very deliberate choice to move to Appleton.

“We have a liking for an environment that is community-oriented and welcoming, and it is really beautiful,” he said. The college, the second co-ed one established in the United States, started out with a commitment to bring together Native American and settler youth. It still has a minority enrollment of 20 percent, and a large contingent of international students.

This story also appeared on LakewoodNJ.com (Lakewood, N.J.) and University Business.

Students will participate in a day-long celebration focusing on Post Conflict Peace Building with guest speaker Claudena Skran, Lawrence University professor of government, Edwin and Ruth West Professor of Economics and Social Science, and founder of the Sierra Leon Non-Governmental Organization “Kids Give”; and Conflict Resolution and Restorative Justice with Paul Dedinsky, Milwaukee Assistant District Attorney.

As UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon points out, "It is not enough to teach children how to read, write and count. Education has to cultivate mutual respect for others and the world in which we live, and help people forge more just, inclusive and peaceful societies."

Sept. 21 will mark the 31st anniversary of the United Nations' designated Day of Peace, which honors a cessation of violence and conflict throughout the world.

The day was originally established in 1981, but it wasn’t until 2001, thanks to tireless efforts of Jeremy Gilley, the filmmaker and founder of Peace One Day, that it was given a fixed calendar day, Sept. 21.

I'm hardly the only one who overthinks things. We all do it. In fact, research shows that our brains constantly try to forecast the future, to anticipate what will come next. In caveman times, that meant a fast prediction that a lion was probably following the herd of running antelopes, so stay away. Today it means mulling the healthfulness of every item on a four-page restaurant menu before picking the one that's least likely to pack on pounds, or agonizing over just the right witty words to post on Facebook in anticipation of judgment by hundreds of people.

We also fret about our past experiences and decisions. But while some self-reflection helps us survive and thrive, too much can make us feel trapped and overwhelmed. "When you're overthinking, you're going round and round in a loop instead of moving forward and problem solving," explains Lori Hilt, PhD, an assistant professor of psychology at Lawrence University in Wisconsin.

...No matter what causes overthinking, all of us can relate. "We spend most of our time in the past or the future," Hilt says. "It's very hard to be in the present moment. Our minds are always racing."

Titchener was cited for being "a fierce student of literature" and "a passionate close reader." She is the daughter of Thomas Titchener and Claire Greene, and is a 2010 graduate of Concord-Carlisle Regional High School.

Burstein will present “Crossing the Threshold: Community as Curriculum” at 11:10 a.m. in the Lawrence Memorial Chapel. The event is free and open to the public. He will discuss Lawrence’s strengths as a learning community and explore opportunities to improve on what the college provides.

Named Lawrence’s 16th president in December, Burstein began his tenure in July after nine years as executive vice president at Princeton University. Prior to that, he spent five years as vice president of facilities management at Columbia University.

A native of Cedar Grove, N.J., Burstein earned a bachelor’s degree from Vassar College and an MBA degree from the Wharton School at the University of Pennsylvania.

He was the second-longest serving president in Lawrence University's history and was known for championing the value of a liberal arts education. Warch came to Lawrence in 1977 as vice president for academic affairs and professor of history, and he became president in 1979.

According to the university, Warch transformed the private school by boosting its campus presence and reinstating lonstanding programs such as Freshman Studies.

Warch also transformed the Conservatory of Music, expanding its scope and allowing students from the college and conservatory to "sample each other's worlds," according to the university. That allowed students to double major in disparate subjects such as physics and voice performance.

The school’s 14th president, Warch, 74, died at his home in Ellison Bay, said Rick Peterson, university spokesman. Warch led the college for 25 years, making him the school’s second-longest serving president. He retired in June 2004.

“I would say Rik, more than almost anyone else, shaped Lawrence into what it is today — intellectually, physically and financially,” Lawrence University President Mark Burstein said.

Warch oversaw two capital campaigns that raised $109 million and six new campus buildings were constructed and eight others received major renovations. Lawrence’s endowment grew from $23 million at the start of his presidency in 1979 to more than $182 million when he retired.

He was instrumental in reinstating the university’s convocation series, adding a second term to Lawrence’s signature Freshman Studies course, revising general education requirements and increasing the number of faculty in the conservatory of music.

A major part of his legacy was the establishment of Björklunden, Lawrence’s 425-acre northern campus in Door County, as an integral part of a Lawrence education.

This story also appeared in the Door County Advocate (Door County, Wis.)

"Twenty-three for the number of New York City police department officers that died in the Twin Towers on 9/11 and 110 times is the number of flights in each tower," explained Peeters.

Zócalo Public Square
Sept. 11, 2013
Headline: There Is Power In a Union, Potentially, We Hope
Link: http://www.zocalopublicsquare.org/2013/09/11/there-is-power-in-a-union-potentially-we-hope/ideas/up-for-discussion/
Excerpt: What would it take for organized labor to regain the clout it had 50 years ago? A miracle. Specifically, a miracle of time travel. We would need to go back in history to a time when American industrial production dominated both America’s internal market and the world’s. Back to 1963, that is. Back to a time before the advent of a fluid, mobile, globalized economy where capital is free to migrate to where labor costs are cheapest. To 1963, again. Back to a time before our maturing postindustrial economy based on high-skill knowledge and low-skill service turned “workers” into independent contractors or fungible components. To a time when governors of blue-collar states like Michigan, Ohio, and Wisconsin were labor-friendly liberals or moderates broadly sympathetic to public sector unions, before they became red-state Republicans determined to roll back their collective bargaining rights. And generally, back to a time when we were close enough chronologically to the labor movement’s monumental struggles for worker dignity and security in the 1930s and 1940s to regard unions as integral parts of our national cultural fabric. Back, indeed, to 1963.

But 1963, like the industrial jobs that John McCain famously spoke about during his 2008 presidential run, is “not coming back.” Americans live today in a postindustrial, globalized, union-unfriendly world a galaxy away from 1963. The only way we are going back there is through a time-travel device worthy of Michael J. Fox and Christopher Lloyd in the film Back to the Future. In other words, a miracle.

Jerald Podair is a professor of history and American studies at Lawrence University in Appleton, Wisconsin and the author of The Strike That Changed New York: Blacks, Whites and the Ocean Hill-Brownsville Crisis.

WFRV-TV (Green Bay, Wis.)
Sept. 10, 2013
Headline: Lawrence University Move-In Day
Byline: Donald Robinson
Link: http://bit.ly/13LNirp
Excerpt: It was move-in day for new students at Lawrence University.

The majority of the moving took place in the fresman dormitories. More than 400 students are in the freshman class, which is one of the school's biggest in the last few years. There are also some 17 transfer students this year.

The students come from 292 different high schools, from 30 states, and from 22 countries.

More than one-fourth of the freshman class is in the top 5 percent of their high school graduating class.

The campus was filled with newcomers Tuesday for the beginning of Welcome Week.

This year, there are about 400 freshmen on campus.

Lawrence starts the school year later than most, due to its trimester schedule.

Both students and school officials believe it'll be a great year.

"Everybody's been super nice and I can't wait to meet my roommate. She should be here soon. So it's a little stressful, but I think I'll be able to make a lot of friends so everyone's awesome and I'm excited,” said Nina Sultan, Lawrence University freshman.

"Freshman move in day for us is like Christmas and our birthdays all wrapped into one because the admissions and financial aid staff gets to see the fruits of the labor," said Ken Anselment, Dean of Admissions and Financial Aid.

Student and faculty volunteers worked to show students around the campus, while moving them in to their residence halls.

"Right now, it's really hot.. .but we will deal with it," said incoming freshman Allison Holley. "The room is interesting because I haven't seen it before, but I think we will find a way to make things work."

The university is celebrating its 165th academic year.

Journal Sentinel (Milwaukee, Wis.)
Sept. 10, 2013
Headline: How much attention should prospective students pay to college rankings?
Byline: Karen Herzog
Link: http://www.jsonline.com/blogs/news/223138271.html
Excerpt: It's that time of year again, when college recruiters swarm high schools across the country, touting their latest college rankings to woo the best and brightest prospective students. At the same time, critics line up to tell high school students and parents why they should ignore the rankings.

Critics warn that the rankings are flawed, and should not heavily influence a student's college choice. Several other factors should come into play, such as the success of graduates with landing jobs after graduation, and whether it's the right fit, both academically and personally.

The methodology used to produce the 2014 rankings was slightly updated, deemphasizing measures like student selectivity and class rank, and emphasizing retention and graduation rate measures. Other criteria used included peer and high school counselor assessment, faculty resources, financial resources and alumni giving.

Before we tell you how Wisconsin colleges and universities fared in the U.S. News & World Report's latest ranking released Tuesday, you may want to read Lynn O'Shaugnessy's take on the rankings, and how they may actually do more harm than good. Her blog, The College Solution, is a great source of information for parents and students starting the college search.

The Atlantic also published its annual reminder of why you should ignore the rankings.

No Wisconsin college was ranked higher than Lawrence among eight state institutions in the magazine’s national liberal arts category.

U.S. News’ annual rankings are based on a combination of subjective information such as academic reputation (22.5 percent) and quantitative measures that are widely accepted as reliable indicators of academic quality, including graduation and retention rates (22.5 percent), faculty resources (20 percent) student selectivity (12.5 percent) and alumni giving rates (5 percent), among others.

Lawrence’s commitment to close faculty-student interaction and small classes was reflected in its high rate of classes with 20 students or fewer (78 percent).

Post-Crescent (Appleton, Wis.)
Sept. 7, 2013
Headline: Youth Options gives students college opportunity
Byline: Jennifer Edmondson
Link: http://post.cr/1akmjox
Excerpt: Public high school juniors and seniors can take courses at approved post-secondary schools through the Youth Options program, simultaneously earning high school and post-secondary credits. Once the student’s request is approved by both the public school district, and the post-secondary school, the district will pay for the cost of tuition, books, materials and for a portion of transportation costs. All students are responsible for providing their own transportation, and all grades are included in the high school transcript. Students who fail the course or drop out must reimburse the school district.

...Students who want to take a course through the Youth Options program must prove the post-secondary course is not 80 percent comparable to an existing school district course. Catie applied to take a British Writers course at Lawrence University. AASD offers a high school British Literature class. We obtained copies of the curriculum for that course and the syllabus for the Lawrence course. We then asked her Advanced Placement English teacher for his opinion. He said no comparable AASD courses existed.

We asked the British Writers professor at Lawrence to compare the high school course curriculum with her course syllabus. She reviewed the documents with her department chairperson and their Youth Options administrator. They concluded that their course was not comparable to the AASD course. The school district approved Catie’s Youth Options application.

After a school district approves a Youth Options application, students must apply to the post-secondary school where the desired course is taught. Lawrence University provisionally approved Catie’s application.

Generally, private schools have more limitations regarding Youth Options than public post-secondary schools. Make sure you know what the limitations are before you apply.

Before students are allowed to take the British Writers class at Lawrence, they must first earn a score of 4 or higher on the AP English exam. Also, students will not be admitted if the class is full, a fact that won’t be known until the first day of class.

Dale Hanson, AASD’s director of career and technical education & instructional technology, helped us develop a backup plan. Catie met with the Lawrence professor and so far, it’s likely she’ll be allowed in the class.

According to Hanson, AASD students typically take courses at three area colleges — Fox Valley Technical College, Lawrence University and the University of Wisconsin-Fox Valley. Annually, about 100 AASD students apply to take post-secondary courses through the Youth Options program and about 70 percent are approved by the district.

BizTimes.com (Milwaukee, Wis.)
Sept. 6, 2013
Headline: Wisconsin companies earn Well Workplace Awards
Link: http://biztimes.com/article/20130906/ENEWSLETTERS02/130909888
Excerpt: The Wellness Council of America (WELCOA), with its local affiliate, the Wellness Council of Wisconsin, has presented the coveted Well Workplace Awards in Wisconsin to 21 more companies.

Post-Crescent (Appleton, Wis.)
Sept. 6, 2013
Headline: Stage and screen fashions of legendary actress Katharine Hepburn at heart of Appleton exhibit
Byline: Cheryl Anderson
Link: http://post.cr/17LkDnR
Excerpt: “Life is to be lived,” Katharine Hepburn once said. “If you have to support yourself, you had bloody well better find some way that is going to be interesting. And you don’t do that by sitting around.”

Hepburn, one of Hollywood’s most iconic figures, certainly didn’t sit around — with 12 Oscar nominations in 48 years and four wins for leading roles in “Morning Glory,” “Guess Who’s Coming to Dinner,” “The Lion in Winter” and “On Golden Pond.”

...In addition to the exhibition, a host of other Hepburn events have been planned in Appleton including an art exhibit called “Capturing Modernity: Art, Fashion and Artiface,” Sept. 27-Nov. 27 in the Leech Gallery of the Wriston Art Center Galleries at Lawrence University.

“The connection to the Hepburn exhibition at the Trout is the interest in and display of women’s fashions — fashion being an exciting new direction in art museum exhibitions,” said Beth Zinsli, curator and director of the Wriston Art Center Galleries.

The exhibition, curated by Lawrence associate professor of art history Elizabeth Carlson, features 19th century American and European works of art from the university’s permanent collection paired with commercial fashion plates from 19th century periodicals.

Post-Crescent (Appleton, Wis.)
Sept. 3, 2013
Headline: Ethnic background plays role in dementia care
Byline: Cheryl Anderson
Link: http://www.postcrescent.com/article/20130903/APC04/309030186/Ethnic-background-plays-role-dementia-care
Excerpt: While the United States puts an emphasis on short-term memory loss, research finds it’s not as important with Chinese elderly, said Brenda Jenike, associate professor of anthropology at Lawrence University whose realm of research is in cultural gerontology, or the cultural context of aging.

According to a study published in June in The Lancet, an analysis of 89 studies found the number of people with dementia in China soared from 3.7 million in 1990 to 9.2 million in 2010. The number is far higher than that of the World Health Organization’s estimated 5.4 million dementia cases in 2010.

Jenike said an international team of researchers also recently found more than 90 percent of dementia cases — about 35 million people — in China go undetected. The reason? Low expectations.

“The short-term memory loss and the inability of Chinese elders to know current events didn’t matter at all and one of the reasons was because that generation had a lot less education than the younger generation. They weren’t expected to know that anyway,” she said. “What was troubling for them — much more problematic — was wandering and problems with food intake or other things in terms of activities.”

Cultural differences matter in terms of the social dimensions of aging, especially in dementia. And it’s not specific to the Chinese, Jenike said.

“We understand the biological aspects, but then there’s this acknowledgment that the experience of aging, the experience of caregivers ... differs cross-culturally as well as over time historically,” she said. “One of the major differences is in how we interpret illness and the illness experience. So if we’re talking about dementia, then it matters in terms of how the family and community understand the symptoms of dementia.”

There are universal things about aging and dementia and how it’s interpreted as problematic or a natural part of aging in different ethnic backgrounds.

“But what really matters in terms of the well being of the elderly person has to do with what were the expectations for care,” Jenike said.